By DANIEL J. HEITZENRATER

President and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce

“Wait, do you work for the County Chamber, or Jamestown Chamber?” Upon starting my new job with the Chamber of Commerce, I have been asked this question more than a few times. My answer is usually “Well, both!” before explaining the unique structure of our organization.

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce represents members across all of Chautauqua County, including our six community Chambers local to Dunkirk, Fredonia, Hanover, Jamestown, Mayville-Chautauqua, and Westfield-Barcelona. The community chambers each include a committee of dedicated volunteers, and a Chamber Coordinator staff member.

The history of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is much like other organizations that have naturally come together over time, as society becomes more connected. The very premise of a member organization like the chamber of commerce is its outstanding value in bringing people together to work around common goals and strength in numbers. Bringing the community chambers together under a countywide fiscal and social umbrella made sense, especially in the modern, connected world we live in.

Anyone who has lived in Chautauqua County quickly understands while we are a relatively small rural area, there are some differences across our geography and communities that make it such a special place to live, work, and visit. Maintaining our community chamber committees is a great way to continue a close-knit connection among member businesses within the community, and tailor programming to each area, while leveraging the resources and knowledge of a collective.

In my first month I have had the pleasure of attending meetings with all six of our community chamber committees. There are many great initiatives and events in each community, but ultimately, we all share the same mission: to create a business environment where our members can thrive. We achieve this through many coordinated initiatives to serve our members. Thank you to our Chamber Coordinators and all of the business leaders involved in our community chambers. I look forward to continued work together as we strengthen our communities, which in turn makes our collective impact as one Chamber, and one County, stronger.

MANY THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

The annual Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament was another big success this year. Held at the beautiful upper course at Peek’n Peak Resort, the day was rain free and over 100 golfers were in good spirits!

The Chamber Golf Tournament is organized each year as a way to raise funds for the work the Chamber does all year round. That includes support of our relatively new ShopLocalCHQ initiative, which encourages local merchants to sell and market their products online and also encourages local residents to buy local.

We sincerely thank our sponsors, without whom the event would not have been possible: A Automotive, AES/Empire Solar, Bush Industries, Chautauqua Lake Dental, Chautauqua Patrons Insurance, Community Bank, Dahlstrom Roll Form, DFT Communications, Express Employment Professionals, Graf Realty, Jamestown Container, Jamestown Kitchen & Bath, Jamestown Mattress Company, Koester Associates, Lake Shore Savings Bank, Lawley Insurance, National Grid, Nestle Purina PetCare, OBSERVER, The Post-Journal, and Shults Auto Group.

Many thanks also to the volunteers who turned out to help us through the day, and to the incredibly helpful staff at Peek’n Peak. Many hands really do make light work!

MAYVILLE-CHAUTAUQUA COMMUNITY CHAMBER TO HOLD FINAL SUMMER CONCERT

The Mayville-Chautauqua Community Chamber of Commerce will hold its final Entertainment in the Park summer concert on Thursday, August 26 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the gazebo in Lakeside Park. The band is No Consensus – a local featuring Rachel Curtin, Michael Starks, Ken Shearer and Todd Tranum. They describe their sound as “an alternative/dirty folk rock sound” and will be performing an eclectic assortment of both originals and cover songs. This is a free, family friendly program so come from near and far and have some fun!

SHOP LOCAL TO SUPPORT OUR ECONOMY

It’s not a new concept, but it has renewed significance since many businesses had to close at the onset of the pandemic last year. The Shop Local movement is more relevant than ever. If you sincerely want to help boost your community and our local businesses, spend your money with local merchants and local restaurants.

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce has been stressing the importance of shopping locally for many years. We offer a local gift card that can be used at more than 140 merchants countywide. We have promoted Small Business Saturday, working to drive sales to local businesses at the start of each busy holiday shopping season. And in 2020 we worked with a number of partners to launch ShopLocalCHQ, an online sales and marketing platform that provides a convenient way to support local businesses through online shopping.

ShopLocalCHQ now offers over 400 products through 74 local merchants. It’s a fast and simple way to make a difference for local business while you’re shopping for things you need and want anyway. Just visit shoplocalchq.com and click on Shop Now to find a variety of products and service offered by local businesses. Shopping through this site is as easy as shopping on the big box online stores. You can aggregate all of your purchases in a single shopping cart and checkout is convenient. Whether you’re shopping for back to school or just looking for some great local merchandise, visit ShopLocalCHQ.com to support local business.