Tuesday, April 26, 2022

This year the Chamber has designated June 6 - 17 as Greater Cape Ann Small Business Weeks. Small business persons of the year for Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Rockport will be selected by committees comprised of past recipients of this annual recognition. 

To submit nominations, please email Peter Webber by Friday, May 6.

Birding Speaker Series 

Every season has great birds in Rockport. We will begin the day with a tour a Halibut Point State Park to see what birds are there. It is not unusual to see over two dozen species in an hour's walk.

We will return to the Emerson Inn for a presentation where we will focus on the change of seasons, from the wonderful winter birds on the ocean, to the spring migrants coming to refuel for their trip farther north or to stay and nest.

Spring Tourism Mixer

Attention hospitality businesses: Join us for the annual greater Cape Ann Spring Tourism Mixer, as we gather at The Vista to welcome the 2022 season. It's time to again mingle with your colleagues within the region's tourism community and share your updates on plans for this spring, summer, and fall.

- Ribbon Cutting for new Breakfast Pavillion; room tours will also be available

- Bring promotional materials to share

- New businesses will be given the opportunity to provide a brief update

Occurring on the first Thursday of the month at 9AM, the Greater Cape Ann Chamber hosts Coffee & Connections, a virtual networking event! We will continue holding these via Zoom so that you may join us from anywhere. Meet new people, expand your business connections and stay in touch with friends and colleagues.

This event will showcase the Cape Ann region's broad range of health and wellness services. From yoga and massage to general health screenings and resources, this event will provide something for people of all ages! The event will also include a Blood Drive with the Red Cross.

Thank you to our sponsors: Addison Gilbert Hospital, Beauport Hearing Care, Cape Ann Savings Bank, and Dependable Benefits Advising

The Chamber and The Emerson Inn invite you join them for our Business After Hours Event! Stay for the whole two hours or just stop by for a quick visit.

Business After Hours events are a great way to meet your fellow chamber members and learn about their businesses. Guests are always welcome so please feel free to bring non-chamber members to show them what the Greater Cape Ann Chamber is all about!

Please register in advance if you plan to attend.

TEE & GREEN SPONSORSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE! Contact Michelle for details.

Attention beer and ale lovers! Award-winning True North Ale Company is hosting the next Businesswomen's Mixer the first Thursday in June. The owners and staff of True North Ale Company invite the Businesswomen of Cape Ann to enjoy a pint of their delicious brew and meet and network with other area businesswomen. Registration is open so please reserve your spot today!

The Greater Cape Ann Chamber is seeking weekday and weekend volunteers for both the Gloucester and Rockport visitor centers . If you or someone you know if looking to connect with and give back to the community, please get in touch with Becca Campbell at 978-283-1601 or becca@capeannchamber.com.

Mayor Greg Verga announced the launch of a new online reservation and payment system for non-resident beach parking for the 2022 beach season. The City of Gloucester will utilize Yodel, a parking management platform, to allow non-resident beachgoers to reserve and pay for their parking space at City beaches up to ten days in advance. This innovative technology will streamline the parking procedure for all visitors to Gloucester's beaches.

Manship Artists Residency and Folly Cove Studio LLC announce the launch of The Folly Cove Intensive, a novel program to support creative entrepreneurs and makers. The program will give small business owners an opportunity to problem-solve and create growth opportunities with the help of experienced professionals.

Pauline's has opened on April 26th for the 2022 season! Opened in 1999, Pauline’s Gifts is a small gift shop specializing in affordable gifts, local souvenirs and Pauline’s Painted gifts. Largest retailer of Decorative Flags, windsocks and spinners. . Winner Boston Gift Show "Pride of New England Award".

As a reminder, you have until May 1 to select your favorite places on the North Shore of Boston to dine, renew, shop, and play. Vote in one subcategory or all 140+! This also the last chance to get your company on the ballot.

Boston based Canadian concert violinist Adrian Anantawan has dedicated his life to impacting people in and outside the concert hall. As a violinist he has performed in concert halls all over the globe and as a speaker, educator and disabilities advocate he has worked on bringing awareness to issues of access and equity in the arts for disabled communities. Adrian joins with pianists Leigh McAllister and Molly Joyce for a program of classical favorites and new arrangements for his Rockport debut.

Join us for a festive spring evening of food, friends and celebration of community to benefit Pathways for Children.

Honoring the inaugural recipients of the Sue Todd Service Award, presented for tenure and tenacity in support of Pathways for Children

Tickets: $100

Table of 10: $1,000

In an effort to bridge relationships between youth and law enforcement, Project Adventure is excited to present its first annual Amazing Race -

a teambuilding competition designed to take law enforcement and youth teams through a series of low and high challenge course activities. Members of the various Greater Cape Ann police departments are participating. Children and teens from Grade 6 to 12 are invited to participate.

Sponsorships also are available.

The Sawyer Free Library’s first-ever Comic-Con will be on Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester. It is an all-ages event celebrating comics and graphic novels, as art, as literature, and as a part of pop culture – bringing together fans, young and old, and creators for a jam-packed day of special guests, workshops with comic book authors and artists, live programs, fandom games, crafts and activities, photo ops with characters, exciting surprises, and much more. Attendees are also encouraged to wear costumes.

Includes several special sessions that require registration to participate.

Join Hammond Castle as they celebrate their 47th Season with a ribbon cutting ceremony and daylong celebration!  The festivities begin at 10 AM with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony hosted by the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. The Lynnfield Middle School Pioneer Singers from the Lynnfield Middle School will perform in the Great Hall from 1 to 1:30 PM. The Museum will open to the public free of charge from 10 AM to 4 PM, offering self-guided tours. Registration is required and may be made in advance or upon arrival at the Museum.

Are you new to Ipswich or in the dark about this town’s long and rich history? This tour is designed as a crash course through Ipswich’s past. Join Scott Jewel on a walk through some of the highlights and lowlights that have shaped this great town over thousands of years. Rain or shine, so dress accordingly!

In a partnership, the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation and Temple Ahavat Achim of Gloucester present a Yom HaShoah program, marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Sunday, May 1, at 3:00 p.m. at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, Middle and Church Streets, Gloucester.

The program features the world premiere of a specially composed work for strings, piano, clarinet, and vocalists, The Grip of Evil: The Endurance of Hope, by American composer and lyricist Leslie Steinweiss, commissioned for the occasion by Temple Ahavat Achim with the support of sponsoring donors.

While traveling in Egypt, Lord Wilson is caught in a sandstorm and finds refuge in the nearest pyramid where Aspicia, the daughter of one of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs, lies entombed. When he falls asleep, lulled by the haze of opium, Aspicia comes to life and his passion for her will take him on a fantastic journey.

Join us to celebrate all the incredible Moms & Mother figures in your life! Stop by our Beverly Farms shop to pick up a complimentary handmade bouquet and meet our team. Our friendly real estate advisors will help you in picking a bouquet guaranteed to make Mom smile! From 10 to 11:30 AM, or until flowers are gone!

As a part of its educational series on dementia, Of Sound Mind, the Sawyer Free Library to host a talk by Dementia Friends, a global movement changing how people think, act, and talk about dementia. By helping everyone in a community understand what dementia is and how it affects people, each of us can make a difference for people touched by dementia.

This event brings items from all corners - from golf outings and beach barbecues to fine clothing and complete wine cellars. There is a silent auction for smaller items and a live auction for the big ticket items including an 80 inch smart television! There will be a non-betting lottery on the outcome, a hat contest with the best woman's and men's hat winning a bottle of real Kentucky bourbon and a bouquet of roses. An excellent buffet dinner will be served throughout the evening, cash bar (yes mint julep), and best of all we are raising money for local scholarships, food banks and international projects. So put on your Derby hats and be ready to have a fun time with fun people. Tickets can be purchased online for $30 or at the door $35.

Come one, come all to the BlackBizBall and Awards Ceremony, a fantastic opportunity for those who want to do more business with people of color and for those who want to increase racial equity by welcoming Black people to Gloucester. Twenty-eight Black business owners and leaders will be honored.

The event is planned to be meaningful, productive, and fun. Proceeds will provide startup funding for the Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Academy for high-risk youth ages 13-24 in the Boston area. Individual tickets are $175 or a pair for $300. Sponsorships and tables of 8 are also available.

Join Gloucester 400+ for an enthralling presentation and dialogue with Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm.

Slide Into Spring Savings with 3 Ways To SAVE!

- Up To 20% Off Roofing, Siding, Windows & Doors!

- NO Interest, NO Money Down, NO Payments Financing Up To 24 Months!

- Free $100 Gas Gift Card with every purchase!

It’s Spring! Time to enhance your curb appeal & save money on energy bills with new windows, siding, roofing and doors. Whether you have an old leaky Roof, drafty Windows, ugly Siding or inefficient Doors.

Are you a boutique, an art gallery, an event venue or are you just looking to take your business's virtual accessibility to the next level? Virtual Tours aren't just for real estate! As a Greater Cape Ann Chamber member, book a virtual tour with VRtical Media and get an hour of post-production ($100 value) towards your first virtual tour.

Local Sales, Discounts & Promotions

*Contact Sam at sam@capeannchamber.com if you need assistance

Come join the author of New England Yacht Insider’s Guide, Anne Vandromme-Hood, Salem Harbormaster Capt. Bill McHugh and the Eastern Point Pilots for coffee, networking and sea stories. Anne with her years of yachting experience, will lay out how glamorous multimillion dollar yachts along with smaller coastal cruisers, can benefit the businesses of New England harbors. The North Shore has shown an increase of mega yachts that bring revenue to many businesses.

All are welcome!

Massachusetts is moving forward in a significant way with Offshore Wind (OSW) development plans as a means to reach Net-Zero. It is up to us to protect the things we need and love: marine life, sustainable fishing, and economic benefits.

Come to hear about the proposed plans for Salem as a port supporting the offshore wind (OSW) industry, and what the future of offshore wind development will look like. Let’s hear about: What role could other ports play? What jobs will be created? How can we do this and protect wildlife and the fishing industry? How to participate in the OSW conversation?

The SBA Massachusetts District Office will be hosting an open discussion in which we will discuss the products and services SBA has available to entrepreneurs and small business owners. From SBA lending to technical resources and all the way through Federal Government contracting opportunities our team wants the small business community to be informed about all the resources available within the Small Business Administration.

- Visit CapeAnnWorks.com and post opportunities

- Works Perks: sign up on the website and help us create a robust program

- Attend the Recruiting and Hiring Workshop on Monday, May 9, 8:30 AM at the Beauport Hotel with Richard Weissman

Governor Baker announced a new grant program for Massachusetts businesses that hire and retain new workers. The grant is a flat rate of $4,000 per new hire, up to $400,000 per business (100 workers). This grant program runs from March 23, 2022, until December 31, 2022, or until the funding runs out. We urge interested employers to learn the full rules of the program and how to apply.

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, MassHire Career Centers and Workforce Boards, and the Commonwealth Corporation are joining forces to present a series of workforce and upskilling “road shows” this spring. These regional events will seek to provide important information on how employers can access state resources, as well as serve as an opportunity for the business community to engage with state workforce officials. Event details are still in the works. We have been asked to share this information with Chamber members and all employers in the Greater Cape Ann region. If you are interested in attending a session in our region, please fill out this brief form.

LEAP is now recruiting employers and

community members! Be a “Career Mentor” and virtually advise a youth/young adult summer intern in a six-week project-based remote learning experience.

Marine Retail Store and Parts Manager needed at Cape Ann Marine Sales & Service

Gloucester Housing Authority is seeking a Public Housing Manager and a Maintenance Working Supervisor.

Line Cooks Wanted at Happy Humpback Cafe

If you are interested in promoting with the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and sponsoring this newsletter, please contact Ken Riehl at ken@capeannchamber.com