The CHQ Chamber is pleased to help local businesspeople connect with their elected representatives in a brand-new way.

We have restructured our advocacy events this year to provide an improved experience for all involved. One of the new events we are trying out is an informal networking event designed to allow businesspeople to have one-on-one conversations with local elected officials during a program we’re calling Official Introductions.

This reception-style event will be held at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, 10 Dunham Avenue, Celoron, Tuesday, June 17 from 5-7pm.

The CHQ Chamber personally invited local elected representatives from the federal, state, county, town, city, and village levels. To date we have received positive responses from over 30 municipal and state officials.

This is a tremendous opportunity for businesspeople to meet directly with their representatives. The CHQ Chamber is not creating a heavily structured agenda for this program. Instead, we want to foster direct communication between the business community and our government officials. This event directly meets our mission to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County.

The price to attend is just $35 per person. Your registration includes heavy appetizers and a cash bar, as well as support for the year-round activities of the CHQ Chamber. Registration is open now through our online calendar at www.chqchamber.org. Please RSVP by June 10.

Official Introductions is sponsored by Brooks-TLC Hospital System, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Corporation, DFT Communications, LaBella Associates, National Grid, Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, UPMC Chautauqua, Jamestown Community College, The Media One Radio Group, Observer, and The Post-Journal.

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS WITH THE TARP SKUNKS

Join us this month for a special Business After Hours event with the Jamestown Tarp Skunks! You can mingle with the baseball players and other local businesspeople, enjoy a complimentary hotdog courtesy of 3 C’s Catering, enjoy a cash bar, and get a free personalized baseball card with your name and picture on it – taken by a professional photographer. Then, stay after if you’d like to watch the Tarp Skunks practice.

This event will be held Tuesday, May 27 from 5-6:30pm at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park, home of the Jamestown Tarp Skunks. 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 not required but is very much appreciated for our planning purposes. Advanced registration also gets you on our “Who’s Who in the Room” list during the event. Registration is open now through our web calendar at www.chqchamber.org.

This event is proudly sponsored by Phillips Lytle LLP, Jamestown Tarp Skunks, 3 C’s Catering, AHN Westfield Memorial Hospital, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, LaBella Associates, National Grid, Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, Jamestown Community College, Media One Radio Group, Observer, and The Post-Journal.

TWO MORE NEW MEMBERS FOR 31 IN 31

The CHQ Chamber continues to work towards increasing our membership by 31 members in 31 days throughout Small Business Month. With two new members in the past week we are up to eight new members so far. The Daisy Farm in Fredonia is a new member, as is SOLT Café and Spa in Jamestown.

Throughout the month of May, the CHQ Chamber is offering incentives to our current members when they help get a new business to join. Here’s how it works: when 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. 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.