Did you know there are over 800 manufacturing establishments in Chautauqua County? Those businesses are producing goods that range from food products to furniture to engines to ball bearings to healthcare products, and much more. And those businesses represent the largest employee sector – almost 17% of the total county workforce. Those employees are divided almost evenly between men and women. Median earnings in local manufacturing jobs are $49,000. Manufacturing plants in Chautauqua County ship over $26.8 billion worth of products annually.

Now that you know some of the statistics, you may have a new outlook on manufacturing in our county. Most of us have driven through some of the manufacturing sectors in our communities or past large plants and wondered what they really do there. The answers are as varied as the types of businesses. Some involve very skilled labor, some require advanced technologies, some are very hands-on, some are loud, and some are quiet. But they are all making things – things we often take for granted like the chairs we sit on at our dining room table or the juice we drink for breakfast.

Manufacturing is not just vital to our economy; it is vital to our way of life. Look around your home or office. Everything you touch from your furniture to your food to your clothes to phone to your TV was manufactured. All those items are the result of teams of employees working together to create the products we use every day. We are proud to salute our local manufacturers this month and all year round.

MADE IN FALCONER IS OCTOBER 5

During the national observance of Manufacturing Month, we invite you to see firsthand some of the places where local products are made. Please join us today for Made in Falconer. This event runs from 10am-2pm, Saturday, October 5. Six local manufacturers in Falconer are open for public tours. They are all free of charge. Tours will be conducted every half hour at Dahlstrom Roll Form, Ellison Bronze, Falconer Printing, Fancher Chair, Hanson Sign Co., and Stuart Tool & Die.

To make the event even more interesting, our CHQ Chamber committee in Falconer has developed a text scavenger hunt you can enter during your tours and during additional stops at local businesses in Falconer. Prizes have been donated by Falconer businesses. Thanks to Live CHQ Choose CHQ you can also ride the CHQ Transit Trolley for free from the various manufacturing plants. Made in Falconer is sponsored by Cattaraugus County Bank.

We hope you’ll take this opportunity to visit at least one or two of our extraordinary local manufacturing plants, where local residents are working every day as part of those incredible statistics we cited above. Made in Falconer is a chance to get to know this side of our community, and our economy, even better.

BUSINESS BUILDER WORKSHOP IS OCTOBER 21

Get your business ready for the holiday season! Come to our next Business Builder Workshop and we’ll help you prepare for the fast-paced months ahead.

The next CHQ Chamber Business Builder Workshop topic is Prep Your Business for the Holidays. It will be held from 1-3pm, Monday, October 21 at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown Topics will include Small Business Saturday, and the Chamber’s programs aimed at helping support small businesses such as the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card and our countywide Holiday Window Decorating Contest. We’ll have some new programs and resources to unveil for you! Also on the agenda will be social media strategies to help you market your business – not just during the holiday season but all year round.

Business Builder Workshops are free for all local businesspeople to attend, and always include opportunities for networking. We appreciate advanced registration for our planning purposes. You can learn more or register now through our web calendar at www.chqchamber.org.

TWO BUSINESS AFTER HOURS EVENTS COMING UP!

The CHQ Chamber is pleased to add another exceptional venue to our lineup of Business After Hours sites for this year: Downtown Brew, 13 Water Street, Fredonia. This next Business After Hours networking event will be held Thursday, October 24 from 5-6:30pm.

Business After Hours is a great way to get to know a wide variety of local businesspeople from all over Chautauqua County. Enjoy complimentary appetizers and a cash bar, while getting to know Who’s Who in the Room. It’s an engaging experience for all! We always encourage attendees to bring business cards for networking.

Each Chamber member business may send two people for free to each Business After Hours. The cost is just $10 per person for non-members or for anyone over the two-person limit. We appreciate advanced registration for planning purposes. Register now through our web calendar at www.chqchamber.org.

After the October event we’ll have one final Business After Hours for the calendar year with the always popular event at Southern Tier Brewing Company. This event will be held Wednesday, November 13. Please book early as the Southern Tier Brewing location tends to fill quickly.

The CHQ Chamber looks forward to seeing many local businesspeople at our Business After Hours events. Please bring business cards for networking.