Dear PACC Members,

Welcome to the New Year- 2022! As 2021 came to a close, our area was saddened by the news that long time member, Bassett’s Restaurant, was closing December 31, 2021. The closing was due to the double whammy of the White’s Ferry closure and the ongoing effects of Covid 19. This news came on the heels of the announcement that Truist

(formally BB&T) is closing it’s Poolesville bank branch in March of 2022. A tough year for the local economy.

The PACC has long advocated the importance of “Shopping Local”. The recent developments should be a clarion call to patronize our Western Montgomery County businesses so they will continue to provide goods and services critical to our local quality of life. Local businesses are the backbone of our community and the Chamber will continue our work started 43 years ago in 1979 to support and promote our area businesses.

Despite some tough recent news, I am encouraged and excited by the energy and enthusiasm of some of our newer Chamber members- the Healthy Hub, K-2 Café and the Sweet Lemon. The owners are pouring their hearts into their new businesses and I invite you to stop by and support them and tell your friends to do so also.

The Sweet Lemon will be the featured guest at the January 6 Businesses Helping Businesses Grow event to be held via Zoom at 8 am. The zoom link is provided at the end of this newsletter.

Congratulations to PACC member, Potomac Valley Survey, on their recent office expansion in Poolesville. The PACC will host a ribbon cutting in the near future to celebrate their recent expansion- Watch for details.

Work has begun on the PACC 2022-23 Community and Business Directory which is provided as a free guide to local residents and businesses of Western Montgomery County. The Directory is made possible by our member advertisers and notices are going out in January announcing advertising opportunities. As a new feature this year, we also plan to upload the Directory to the PACC website for added exposure.

The PACC Board has joined forces with the Poolesville Town Commissioners and the Fair Access Committee in their ongoing efforts to assist in getting White’s Ferry reopened. It is hard to believe that the Ferry has now been closed for over a year. The Western Montgomery County region is the most directly impacted by the Ferry closure and we will continue assist in efforts to get it reopened.

The PACC Board continues to wrestle with issues around Covid.  Currently our position is to continue to offer a variety of events- some Zoom and some in person. Our members can make their own choices about whether or not to attend in-person events based on their personal situations. The Chamber will be hosting a social/networking happy hour at the AHOP from 5-7 pm on Thursday, January 27 - Register Here

The PACC Annual Meeting is currently scheduled for Thursday, February 24 at St. Mary’s Pavilion in Barnesville. This event is FREE but registration is required. We will have some light snacks and a cash bar from 6-7 pm followed by the business meeting at 7 pm. We will arrange to have the business portion of the meeting posted on Facebook Live for those unable to attend in person. At the meeting, we will announce the winner of the 2021 PACC Community Service Award. We will also announce the recipients of the proceeds from the very successful Poolesville Day 2021 5 K Race /Walk. Register Here

I am pleased to announce the appointment of our latest new Board of Directors member, Jim Brown, Turning Point Real Estate, and the appointment of Dr. Tim Pike as the Board’s Vice President. The Chamber continues to be supported by our Executive Secretary, Cathy Bupp, and we thank her for her ongoing work on behalf of the Chamber.

Best wishes to everyone for 2022 and beyond.

Regards,

Tom Kettler

PACC President