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As we enter the New Year, I'd like to reflect on a 2023 filled with accomplishments and collaborative initiatives that have strengthened our Chamber and our community. We began the year with our Annual Breakfast and Awards Ceremony, highlighting some outstanding members and the return to all, in person, face to face events. The energy in the room was exhilarating, as we were ready to get back to business as usual, networking without masks, and certainly without Zoom.
As the year progressed, we leveraged state funding for a number of Chamber initiatives. We proudly hosted our 3rd annual Restaurant Week, showcasing the culinary talents of 15 participating restaurants within Canton, Dedham, Norwood, Walpole, and Westwood. This event highlighted the diverse flavors of our region and fostered economic growth by attracting customers to return to a favorite restaurant or explore a new dining experience. We also worked hand-in-hand with small businesses, helping them establish a robust online presence through the creation of new websites. This initiative aimed to enhance visibility for these small businesses, drive traffic to their physical storefronts and to their new websites, ensuring their sustainable digital presence. We are grateful to have worked with such talented collaborators as Kerry Aglugub, KMA Web Design, Tricia White, T. White Creations, Amanda Deiratani, Deiratani Designs and Diana Bagas, Launch Social Media.
As always, our dedication to facilitating meaningful connections among our members remained steadfast with the organization of 20 "noon networking" and "after hours" events throughout the year. These gatherings provided invaluable opportunities for our professionals to build relationships, share insights, and forge partnerships that contribute to the growth of our business community. We are thrilled to announce that we proudly welcomed 34 new members this year to our ever-expanding network!
The summer brought us our competitive Golf Tournament at Brookmeadow Country Club, attended by some impressive foursomes, with enviable handicaps . The day started with a little fog and mist, but the sun emerged and our golfers enjoyed a terrific day of awards, raffle prizes and camaraderie. And rounding out our year, our fall flagship event, Chamber Talks was a huge success. This "ted talk" themed event brought together our local industry leaders and professionals for engaging discussion. Thank you to our panel from Legacy Place, Castle Island Brewery, Morva Stone, Mass Restaurant Association, Northeast HR Association, our MC Rob Ferrini, and, our host at Grazina (Little Bird Events), who outdid herself with beautiful decor and delicious food and drink.
Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce the return of what will be our biggest event of 2024, The Taste of the Region. Mark your calendars for April 10, 2024, at Blue Hill Country Club in Canton for this greatly anticipated gastronomic extravaganza which promises to once again captivate the taste buds of our community and celebrate the rich culinary tapestry of our region.
As we step into this new year, we are excited for what's to come. The Chamber will always remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering growth, collaboration, and prosperity for our members and for our community.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Julie Molloy, Chair of the Board, 2022 & 2023
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