Business to business and public-facing events are undoubtedly among the projects the Chamber of Commerce is known for, yet there is so much more we do daily all with an eye towards meeting our mission to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County.

Direct referrals to your business or organization may be one of the most valuable aspects of your Chamber membership, yet it’s one we don’t often talk about. Each Chamber member is automatically listed in our online Business Directory. Each day in 2023 there was an average of 5,470 referrals from our online business directory.

Here’s an example: if a person searches for “restaurant” in the Chamber’s website business directory they will find a list of dozens of restaurants all over Chautauqua County. Thanks to integrated Google mapping, they may choose to narrow that search to restaurants in a certain geographical area. If the searcher clicks on the name of your restaurant, that’s a stronger referral since it shows a direct interest in a business. If they click through to your website or social media site from that link, it’s an even better result for your business. In addition to category listings, the Chamber asks each member to create a short business description. Each word in that written description becomes a key word for searches in the business directory, so if the searcher is looking for pizza, or deli, or cafe, or steakhouse, or vegetarian, or any other word in the description, that restaurant will show up in the results.

Each Chamber member at our Main Street I level gets three category listings. We invite members to check their categories and business descriptions. You can easily login through our Members Only portal and update your information.

You may have heard of the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card program. As a Chamber member you can participate at no extra cost and accept the card. Consumer spending in 2023 on the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card was over $54,000 in 2023. Your business could retain some of that just by participating in the program. It’s easy to get started. Contact our staff for information.

The Chamber also offers access to mandated New York State sexual harassment prevention compliance training for all employees through our agreement with the Zywave learning management system, as well as other online human resources products, and discounts on background checks, and numerous major medical and supplemental insurance plans available to groups and individuals at cost-competitive rates through our sister corporation, Chautauqua Benefits Specialists.

Information about these, and more, opportunities for local businesses through the Chamber of Commerce is available on our website at www.chautauquachamber.org.

Register Now for Upcoming Chamber Events

The Chamber team has been actively working to schedule a series of business-focused events since the year began, and we can now proudly say many of them are available for registration. We urge you to go to our online calendar now at www.chautauquachamber.org, see what’s on tap for 2024, and register for our upcoming Business After Hours events and more.

The completed calendar so far includes the following events in March: Jamestown Salute to the Finest March 4 at DoubleTree by Hilton; a Business Builder Workshop on the Last Call for Eclipse Opportunities for Businesses March 8 at the Marvin House in Jamestown; and Business After Hours March 21 in the Media Arts Room at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown.

In April we are pleased to announce Business After Hours April 11 at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars and Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing in Westfield; the County Executive Breakfast April 19 at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel; and a public event – the Small Business Week Kickoff and Celebration with many of our partner organizations including the Small Business Development Center to be held at Brigiotta’s Farmland Store in Jamestown in recognition of their 100th anniversary.

May will begin with a preview First Friday event in Westfield May 3rd, followed by our State Legislative Breakfast May 10 at a venue to be announced. Business After Hours is set for May 15 at Music For Your Mouth in Mayville.

You can sign up for Chamber events and then add them to your calendar for planning purposes. Additional Business Builder Workshops, Business After Hours networking opportunities, and annual Chamber events will be announced soon. Watch our calendar or sign up for our emails at www.chautauquachamber.org/stay-up-to-date to be added to our email list. We look forward to seeing you at a Chamber function in 2024!

Today’s the Day for Doors Open Jamestown

Eighteen local venues will participate in Doors Open Jamestown, Saturday, February 3. Doors Open is designed as a day when local museums and attractions open their doors to the public for free, providing opportunities for local people to get a taste of the many assets available right here in our own community. Participating this year are: Audubon Community Nature Center; Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center; Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame; *Fenton History Center; Infinity Visual and Performing Arts; Jamestown Prendergast Library; Lucile M. Wright Air Museum; *Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum; Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown; Martz-Kohl Observatory; *National Comedy Center; *Northwest Arena; Partridge-Sheldon House; Pearl City Clay House; Reg Lenna Center for the Arts; Robert H. Jackson Center; Roger Tory Peterson Institute; and Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club. Those marked with an asterisk require pre-registration and restrictions may apply. Please check those venues’ websites for details. Doors Open will run from 10am-4pm and will feature a scavenger hunt using questions at each location with answers to be submitted by text. In addition to the entries available at each participating attraction, you can get bonus entries by visiting local businesses. For a complete list and information on the text scavenger hunt visit www.jtny.events.