At one point or another we’ve all been invited to “bring a friend.” Whether it’s a casual gathering or a group sales pitch or a community meeting, we are routinely asked to bring someone along that we think may get something out of the event: contacts, information, products, or more. Now the CHQ Chamber is asking our members to “bring a friend” as we celebrate May as National Small Business Month. Tell your fellow businesspeople about your Chamber experience and why you joined, and you can get some rewards from the Chamber.

Through the month of May, the CHQ Chamber will offer incentives to our current members when they help get a new business to join. We are looking for 31 new members in the 31 days of May, and all the benefits go to our current members. Just by referring businesses that join in May, our current members will get some advantages above their regular benefits of membership.

Here’s how it will work: if a new member joins and lists your Chamber member business as having referred them, the current member will get a six-month banner ad on the CHQ Chamber website. That’s a $300 advertising value. If three new members join and list your business as the referrer, you get a six-month banner and plus two tickets to the CHQ Chamber Awards Banquet in October for a $430 value. If five new members join and list your business as the referrer, you’ll get a six-month banner ad, two tickets to the Annual Awards Banquet, plus a quarter page ad in the CHQ Chamber 2025 Membership Handbook – for a total value of $980. These incentives are open to any current Chamber member business. Referrals can be noted either in our printed membership form or the online join form. In both forms there’s a space that asks, “Please let us know who referred you for CHQ Chamber membership.” You can also let our staff know you’ve referred a business, and we’ll follow up. Just send a quick email to Membership Development Director Bob Lingle at rlingle@chqchamber.org.

What are the real benefits of joining the CHQ Chamber? There are plenty for businesses of all sizes. Our mission is to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County. We do that by providing opportunities that connect customers to local businesses, connect businesspeople peer-to-peer, and offering multiple services such as human resources compliance tools, ribbon cuttings for new businesses, an online business directory featuring integrated Google mapping, and more.

We help build business-to-customer connections in a variety of ways including the ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card which is accepted at over 165 businesses throughout Chautauqua County, putting over $70,000 annually back into our local economy. The CHQ Chamber also encourages foot traffic for local businesses through initiatives such as our holiday window decorating contest now featuring a new online platform that incentivizes customers to visit small businesses countywide.

The CHQ Chamber builds business-to-business connections through Business After Hours networking events held all over Chautauqua County throughout the year. These events foster professional and personal relationships and create opportunities for local businesses and organizations to work together. Networking is built into each event the Chamber runs.

Small businesses have varied needs, but the CHQ Chamber offers resources that can be valuable for almost any business. That includes an online HR platform that meets New York State compliance requirements for all employees to be trained in sexual harassment prevention. Business Builder Workshops throughout the year present an array of topics pertinent to local businesses. Recent sessions have focused on marketing, social media, insurance, name recognition, and community engagement.

As a champion for local business, the CHQ Chamber promotes all local businesses, with an extra focus on members. Our online business directory is just part of the picture. We work in partnership with numerous organizations and governmental entities to highlight small businesses. May is National Small Business Month, and we will be personally visiting small businesses countywide as well as promoting them on social media.

Your membership is valuable, but not expensive. All these services, and more, start at just $195 a year. This May, bring a friend, and demonstrate the value of membership in the CHQ Chamber.

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS AT THE ATHENAEUM HOTEL

The next CHQ Chamber Business After Hours will be held Wednesday, April 30 at the grand Athenaeum Hotel at Chautauqua Institution. You can enjoy this beautiful setting along with complimentary appetizers and a cash bar from 5-6:30pm.

All local businesspeople are welcome. CHQ Chamber Business After Hours events are free for two people from each Chamber member organization. The price is just $10 for non-members or anyone above the two-person limit. Registration is appreciated for our planning purposes but is not required. Registering in advance gets you on our “Who’s Who in the Room” list. Registration is open now through our web calendar at www.chqchamber.org.

Business After Hours at the Athenaeum Hotel is sponsored by the Athenaeum Hotel, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua Marina, Kinetic Business, M&T Bank, Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, Jamestown Community College, Media One Radio Group, Observer, and The Post-Journal.

GET MORE EYES ON YOUR BUSINESS

The CHQ Chamber is preparing to publish the 2025 Membership Handbook. This reference guide for Chamber members will be produced in June and distributed starting in July to 1,200 businesses countywide. It’s a compendium of best practices for local businesses and a roadmap to help you improve sales, connections, employee management skills, and more.

Your business can place an ad in this valuable publication to demonstrate your leadership in the business community and underscore your commitment to our local economy.

Business card sized ads start at just $175, with additional options for streamer ads, quarter, half, and full pages. To learn more or to place an ad contact Director of Membership Development Bob Lingle at the CHQ Chamber at (716) 484-1101 ext. 203 or by email at rlingle@chqchamber.org.