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Photograph by John Retallack
September 3, 2017
Dear Members and Friends,
For many of us, Labor Day represents the psychological start of a new year. The weather, just about right on cue, has turned chilly, and many people's thoughts turn to their children going back to school and to rolling up their sleeves and going back to work - summer vacations mostly behind them. We, here at the Chamber, have been working hard to prepare for the fall and have a packed schedule of new opportunities lined up for both our members and the general public this year, starting with September:
September 8
September 12
September 14
- 6:30 pm - Broadcast of Business Voice on WYSL, with Roger Gaelens and James Montanus
September 16
- 4:00 pm - Broadcast of Business Voice on WYSL, with Roger Gaelens and James Montanus
September 23
September 27
Of particular note on the business event sponsorship and marketing front is Bluegrass at the Blue Barn, a five-hour feast of food, live music, the arts and select business exhibits. It's taking place at the beautiful new Blue Barn Cidery on Manitou Road, the latest addition to the growing craft brewing industry in our region and it represents a unique, multi-platform opportunity for businesses to get in front of an important and growing market demographic.
Of particular note on the media and social media front are our new radio show on WYSL, the first of our 2017 broadcast partnerships, along with the very affordable radio ad pricing we're offering exclusively to our members, and our blog, which recently went live: Greece Chamber Blog.
We also have the second in our new Business Success Stories Series morning panel discussions coming up on September 12 at Genesee Regional Bank's new corporate headquarters in Brighton. The panelists are seasoned franchise owners and leaders, including Mark DiRaddo from The DiRaddo Agencies and Allstate, Steve Skewes from JAN-PRO of Upstate New York, Hector Urena III from McDonald's and Robert Fox formerly from Wendy's - and the discussion is being moderated by John Adams, President of FranNet of Western and Central New York, a company that specializes in helping people select, launch and run successful franchise operations. It represents an excellent opportunity to network and to learn.
Speaking of learning, I'm delighted that Advanced ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Kathy Zaroczynski of Zaroczynski & Associates will be leading a QuickBooks training session on Merchant Services September 27 and that Roger Gaelens of Gaelens Style . . . Fine Kitchens and Baths will be leading a 20-20 Design training session on October 10. Both are part of our new Competitive Edge Training Series, which will continue throughout the year, and represent a great way to learn essential skills from local experts at a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere.
Open Enrollment for health insurance is coming up soon. Please stay tuned as shortly we will be announcing dates for informational meetings aimed at both new and renewing subscribers. Our licensed brokers serve businesses, nonprofits, families and individuals throughout Monroe County and the Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes Region in New York State, providing assistance in selecting and purchasing from a broad range of plans from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, MVP HealthCare, the New York State of Health (the Exchange), and Univera. Broker sales commission is paid by the insurance companies not by the subscribers and using a broker does not increase the cost of insurance coverage. In addition, the Chamber also offers Guardian dental and VSP vision plans.
Businesses continue to open in our region - the summer was filled with grand openings and the trend is continuing through September. Greece Regional Chamber Board Chair Russ Herman will be opening his fourth Pet$aver Healthy Pet Superstor in Victor on September 8 and new chamber member Tom Stefanini will be holding the grand opening of his new Farmers Insurance agency in Greece on September 14.
Please note that our September morning networking event is being held on the second Friday of the month, September 8th, and we are being hosted by another great new member, Flower City Habitat for Humanity ReStore at their Henrietta location. In October, we will be back to our regular First Friday timeslot and will be hosted by ServPro of SW Monroe County at their offices in the City of Rochester.
Most of our events provide businesses with sponsorship and advertising opportunites they can utilize as part of their overall marketing strategy. Sponsorship information is typically listed on each event page. I'm also delighted to announce that market impressions data is now available upon request.
Details for all of these events can be found by clicking on the links in the list above or on the Event Tab of the Navigation Bar at the top of this webpage. You can register online or by mail (time permitting), by phone or by email. Don't hesitate to call 585.227.7272 or to email Sarah@GreeceChamber.org. We hope to see you at one or more of these great September events.
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at 585.227.7272 if you would like more information or have questions or feedback or ideas you'd like to share. We want to hear from you!
With best wishes,
Sarah
Sarah E. Lentini
President and CEO
Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce
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