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I trust that everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving and is now busying themselves with the end-of-the-year rush on shopping for loved ones, meeting old friends, and planning for the holiday celebrations, all while trying to ensure you finish the year strong from a business and goal standard. The Chamber team is working tirelessly to ensure we serve as an extension of your brand, especially during these crucial weeks for our retail and hospitality businesses. We understand that these next few weeks can turn a mediocre year into a great year, and we're here to support you. This newsletter includes various promotions our members are running through the holiday season. If there is something you would like our members to be aware of, please update your chamber webpage or send any promotional graphics to marketing@amherst.org.
As the Chamber moves through December, we are still connecting our members in meaningful ways.
ProLIFT, Thursday, December 5th
Lunch Mob, Friday, December 6th
Open ProNet, Thursday, December 12th
As we look ahead to 2025, the Chamber is excited about our programming. Our Emerging Business Leader's Leadership Program is nearing capacity. This program has continued to evolve over the past few years, and we have prided ourselves on assisting the next generation of leaders at your companies in developing their professional skills while expanding their professional networks. To learn more about EBL or to fill out an application for someone you think would benefit from this program, please click here.
Each month, our partners at Independent Health provide our members with health and wellness tips to assist you in providing relevant information to your teams (see the bottom of this newsletter). For the next few newsletter issues, our partner, Univera, will provide a six-part series of tips and information for our members on How Can You Support Your Team with the Rise of Health Care Costs. Insurance costs have increased dramatically in recent years, and we realize that health insurance is a critical part of employee benefits. Please review this for guidance in our Business Resource section below.
We are also developing new programming and refreshing our more traditional programming. Our LIFT Council is starting the year off strong with its Book Club, the first time we have done such a program. Their goal was to afford our members plenty of opportunities to participate by creating a virtual morning and evening session. The first quarter book is Dare to Lead by Brené Brown, PhD., LMSW. Our evening session is at capacity, but a few spots remain in our morning session, facilitated by Lauren Schellinger from Impressia Bank; to register, click here. We will also host two Lunch & Learn events this January and February. Our first one is in January with Greg Hennessey from Marketing Tech presenting on how to market your business effectively, and we'll be back in February with Kennedy Schultz on a session for inclusive business practices. We are focused on providing as many educational forums as possible for you and your business.
It's hard to believe the Chamber's Annual Meeting is right around the corner, on Friday, January 31st, at Jazzboline at Reikart House. We will once again unveil our Public Policy Agenda, install our 2025 Board of Directors, and hear from Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa about the State of the Town of Amherst. We have had a standing-room-only crowd for the past two years, and I anticipate we will once again have that. If you have a concern about a regulatory or tax issue at any level of government, please email us at info@amherst.org so our Economic Development/Public Policy Council can review the issue further.
As the Chamber slides into 2025, READ MORE.
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