The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is fortunate to have a diverse board made up of individuals who care deeply about our community, our economy, and our people. As board members come and go we recognize their passion for making Chautauqua County a stronger place to live, work, and play. The new board make up for 2019 will come up for a vote at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Friday, Dec. 7 at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel.

Our Board Chair, Brian Bugaj of Nestle Purina PetCare will hold that position again in the coming year. Brian has demonstrated leadership over the past year and we are pleased to have him serve a second year as Chair. The Vice Chair once again will be Fred Johnson of Johnson Estate Winery, who also serves as the representative for the Westfield-Barcelona Community Chamber. Neil Frederick of Bush Industries will become Secretary, and Matthew Churchill of Water Street Brass is stepping up to become Treasurer. Our Immediate Past Chair is Curt Anderson, e-commerce consultant, will continue to provide leadership and oversight to the organization.

Other board members returning are Virginia Horvath of SUNY Fredonia, Kris Maytum of DFT Communications, Michael Pucci of Pucci’s Carpet One Furniture, and Emily Reynolds of Cornell Cooperative Extension. Joining the Chamber for the first time this coming year is Heather Brown of The Resource Center. Other representatives for Community Chambers are: Dunkirk, Elizabeth Booth of JCC North who is new to the board; Fredonia, David Dengler of Larson-Timko Funeral Home returning to the board; Hanover, Rick Klisiewicz of Ecolab, new to the board; Jamestown, Vicki McGraw of Elegant Edibles Catering returning for a second year; and Mayville-Chautauqua, Sally Andriaccio of Andriaccio’s Restaurant returning for another year.

Leaving the County board are long-time members Ann Abdella of the Chautauqua Health Network, as well as Community Chamber representatives Kelly Borrello of Cabana Sam’s from Hanover and Michael Pease of The Chautauqua Center from Dunkirk. Their voice at the table and contributions have been extremely valuable to the Chamber over the years and we thank them all for their service.

Chamber Board members provide guidance and oversight, bringing much needed perspective to our organization from businesses that span across all economic sectors. Their volunteer time and dedication is valuable and sincerely appreciated.

Guest speaker for our Annual Meeting will be David P. Hart, President and CEO of Hart Hotels. A privately owned company based in Buffalo, Hart Hotels has more than 30 years of experience developing, operating, and managing hotels and restaurants. Mr. Hart will be talking about building successful partnerships, such as the Hart and Krog alliance for the Celoron project, as well as trends in the hospitality and tourism industry and the economic and environmental factors that go into consideration before a development.

The Chamber will recognize two local women who have helped to spearhead Young Professional movements in Chautauqua County, as it presents the Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award to Monica Kemp-Simpson of Dunkirk and Simone Sellstrom of Jamestown. Ms. Kemp-Simpson is Incubator Program Manager at the Fredonia Technology Incubator. Ms. Sellstrom is an Assistant Professor and Director of Media, Visual, and Performing Arts; Communication Coordinator at Jamestown Community College. They have each worked diligently to organize young professionals to build networks and professional relationships to enhance their communities.

Our Annual Meeting is sponsored by DFT Communications.

Shoptauqua gift cards accepted at over 120 Merchants

With the holiday season in full swing, we encourage you to consider the Shoptauqua Gift Card when you’re thinking about gifts or bonuses for employees, coworkers, friends or relatives. More than 120 local businesses now accept the Shoptauqua Gift Card. That means you, or the recipient of a card you give, can spend it for a night on the town at many great local restaurants, specialty items from gift shops and a wide variety of local retailers, locally made wines from our tremendous assortment of wineries, or tickets to great attractions or events at numerous local venues.

The Shoptauqua Gift Card and its predecessor gift check program have resulted in a nearly $3-million economic impact in Chautauqua County. Study after study has demonstrated that when people buy from locally owned and operated stores and businesses, 73 percent of your purchase remains in the local economy and is dispersed through local wages, charitable donations, and the purchase of goods and services through other local businesses. Buying from businesses that are not locally owned but have a brick and mortar location here returns 43 percent of your purchase to the local economy. Buying from online retailers with no presence in the community returns nothing to our local economy.

The Chamber is committed to helping our local businesses succeed through increased sales, and the Shoptauqua Gift Card is one way we help to make that happen. You can purchase Shoptauqua Gift Cards in any amount up to $500. If you need a quantity of cards it’s best to call ahead to place your order so it can be ready for you. Card orders can take some time to process, especially for large quantities. There are no additional charges for the card purchase; it costs just the value of each card you choose to buy. For more information you can call the Chamber at 484-1101 or 366-6200 or learn more online at www.shoptauqua.com.

Please remember to shop locally this season, and consider Shoptauqua Gift Cards to keep your dollars working in our local economy.