The work of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is focused on our mission: to create a business environment in the region where our members can thrive. Building that environment requires planning, communication, and implementation of events and programs that deliver services for our local businesses. Over the past couple of weeks, we have looked back at how we serve Chamber member businesses, and our entire business community in Chautauqua County, and come up with some substantial numbers.

Attendance at Chamber of Commerce functions was strong in 2022. 1,025 people attended Chamber functions including Business After Hours networking events, legislative breakfasts focused on conversations with county, state, and federal elected officials, the Chamber’s Annual Golf Tournament, and our Annual Meeting. The number does not include the thousands who showed up for community-wide events offered by some of our Community Chamber Committees, including the annual Mayville Winter Festival and Jamestown Cruise-In. If you attended a Chamber of Commerce function in the past year, we hope you made some new business contact and will come again in the future and bring a friend. Participation is one of the keys to getting the most out of your membership.

The Chamber had 123 new members join in 2022 with a net gain of 27 businesses, making our total Chamber membership now at 900. This is a welcome gain as it has been several years since the Chamber of Commerce membership countywide reached that milestone. Membership remains the backbone of our business, as those annual investments help to cover the costs of services for businesses that would be impossible for smaller organizations to provide. Those services include our popular ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card, online marketplace, and human resources compliance programs all of which are substantial benefits for Chamber member organizations.

Referrals are built into the Chamber’s work. Our average daily website Business Directory referrals is 4,046. That’s eyes on your business information through a trusted Chamber platform when anyone searches through keywords or category listings, and the integrated Google maps offer an easy way for customers to locate your facility.

The Chamber of Commerce has stepped up its social media game in the past year. With an emphasis on Facebook activity, we saw a gain in followers of 136.9%. The Chamber of Commerce uses its social media pages to help promote local businesses and events, keep people informed, and to manage community-based promotions that help to drive traffic into local businesses.

Ribbon cuttings for new businesses are one of our most enjoyable activities, and in 2022 we planned, assisted, and attended 35 of them countywide. That’s 35 brand new businesses that held grand opening celebrations! We were delighted to participate in these events featuring new restaurants, retail, and service providers all over the county. We began streaming live video of ribbon cuttings this year on our Facebook page, and the businesses seemed to appreciate the additional attention.

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card program has really taken off in the past year. We saw a 28% increase in the number of participating merchants in 2022 – with 168 businesses now accepting the card. This growth means that card holders can now redeem their gift cards from the Chamber at even more locations whether they are looking to buy books, local wines, gift items, household goods, or services. In addition, spending with the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card climbed to $50,373 in the first eleven months of this year! That’s money that goes directly to our local businesses, boosting the Chautauqua County economy.

Looking back helps us to move forward. We can evaluate our successes from the past year to help establish objectives for the new year. The Chamber of Commerce enjoyed a fast-paced 2022 and is hard at work already to put together a full calendar of events and offer a broad variety of services for local businesspeople for 2023. We wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Redeem Your ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards!

The month of December was especially busy for our Chamber of Commerce staff as we saw a holiday spike in sales of ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards. While it’s hectic for us, it’s a great benefit for our local businesses! Many local companies purchased gift cards for employee bonuses and incentives, and as thank you gifts for clients. Individuals also bought gift cards both for large gifts and for stocking stuffers.

If you are holding a ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card, don’t wait to spend it! You are certain to find a local place that accepts the card, whether it’s a retail outlet, restaurant, service industry, or local attractions. This is the perfect time to use your gift card to enjoy a winter date night, or stock up on some of your favorite local wines. You can do all of that and more with your ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card. Find the full list of participating local merchants on our website, and learn all about the card and how to track your balance at www.shoplocalchqcard.com.

The Chamber absorbs all costs associated with this program and received a grant this year from the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth to help improve all our Shop Small efforts including the gift card program. If your company does not accept the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card and you would like to know more, call the Chamber at (716) 484-1101 or visit us online.

The ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card is issued by Pathward†, N.A., Member FDIC. Funds do not expire. Non-reloadable and no cash access. For Cardholder Agreement or Customer Service: www.getmybalance.com or 1-833-558-1088.

Mayville-Chautauqua Chamber Prepares for 2023 Winter Festival

The Mayville-Chautauqua Community Chamber of Commerce Committee is hard at working planning for the 2023 Mayville Winter Festival. This popular annual event will be held President’s Day Weekend, February 17-19, at Lakeside Park in Mayville. Volunteers are crucial to the success of this event, which brings tens of thousands of patrons into the region and helps to increase traffic for local businesses. If you would like to volunteer for the Mayville Winter Festival, contact Coordinator Shannon Biekarck at sbiekarck@chautauquachamber.org.