Stephen Covey, an educator, entrepreneur and author of several books on leadership and setting goals, wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “begin with the end in mind.” Taking the step to “begin with the end in mind” helps us be clear on our vision. This applies not only to individuals but to organizations as well. If an organizational vision is to be effective it cannot be tucked away in a file or framed put on a wall and forgotten. It has to be supported with a mission, principles, strategies, goals and tactics. As we look forward to 2019 we consider how best we can serve our members and strive toward our vision. That vision being that the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is a regional leaders that is data driven, flexible and strong, providing services and support that make our organization essential to our members.

The Chamber of Commerce continually makes progress toward its vision, however there is much more work to be done. Hearing the voice of our members is an essential to making sure our services align with the needs of those who invest in the Chamber mission. In the first quarter of 2019 our members will receive a survey. The data from this survey will help guide the work of the Chamber.

In 2019 the Chamber will continue to take action on a five point focus. (1) Driving foot traffic to the doors of our members and increasing business to consumer sales. (2) Increasing member sales by facilitating business to business commerce. (3) Containing health insurance costs and providing the best possible insurance options to our members. (4) Advocating for businesses in an effort to contain and reduce property taxes and support economic development and infrastructure projects that are critical to the regions prosperity and tax base. (5) Pro-actively supporting economic, tourism and workforce development.

Many of our members are struggling to find employees. Workforce development is an area where we will apply a great deal of focus. The inability to fill open positions impacts productivity, profitability, business expansion and growth. We will continue to support the Chautauqua County Education Coalition in its efforts to align resources and build capabilities to meet the evolving workforce requirements of Chautauqua County. We will continue to work with the Manufacturers Association in support of the Dream It Do It program which is striving to increase the skilled workforce pipeline entering manufacturing careers, the development of apprenticeship opportunities, and the implementation of the Talent Pipeline Management initiative. We will continue to work with the Manufacturers Association in support of its partnership with Jamestown Community College to implement the Workforce Readiness Scholarship. These are a few of the initiatives where the Chamber is engaged and working toward building our communities workforce.

The Chamber’s work would not be possible without the support of many volunteers, the investment of our members and sponsors and a dedicated board of directors and staff. We hope all businesses in Chautauqua County will join us in our efforts to create a thriving economy in our region. It requires strength in numbers to make all this happen: from the largest employers in the county to the sole proprietorships; each of us has a role to play and a unique perspective to bring to the table. If you want to know more about the Chamber, please give us a call to learn how we can work together. We welcome your input and look forward to strengthening our partnerships across the county and region.

Best wishes to all for a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!

Keep voting to make the National Comedy Center the Readers’ Choice Winner

As of this writing, the National Comedy Center is ranked at number one in the ten finalists for the USA Today Readers’ Choice 10 Best New Attractions! But you have to keep voting to keep it there! Anyone can vote, so please vote and share the contest through your social media, emails, and word of mouth. You can vote at: www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-new-attraction-2018. Be sure to vote each day online on each device you have (for example, vote on your laptop and on your mobile device). Voting continues until noon, January 7, so bookmark the site to vote daily.

The USA Today award is known for bringing significant national media attention to the winner, and that national media attention brings more tourists to Chautauqua County: a huge boon for our local economy. When visitors come to Chautauqua County to see the new National Comedy Center, they are also likely to visit other local attractions and spend money in local hotels, restaurants, and retailers. Please help give this spectacular new attraction the nationwide attention it deserves!

Use your Shoptauqua gift cards

If you are among the lucky recipients of a Shoptauqua Gift Card for Christmas, here are just a few of the ways you can spend it: visit a local museum, check out some of our Chautauqua County wineries, go out to eat at a local restaurant, or buy some groceries to stock up on healthy foods to fulfill your New Year’s resolutions. You can get the full list of participating merchant list by visiting www.shoptauqua.com.

We want to take a moment to thank everyone who purchased Shoptauqua Gift Cards. Thanks to you our sales spiked from last year. In the 2018 calendar year, over $74,000 worth of Shoptauqua Gift Cards were sold. That is an increase of over 42% from 2017, the year which marked our transition from paper gift checks to the Shoptauqua Gift Card! Many of them went to individuals and many others were purchased by companies to give as employee gifts. Regardless of how you received your Shoptauqua Gift Card, we hope you’ll find it convenient and have fun using it to support local businesses.

If you are a Chamber member business in the retail, restaurant, or customer experience sector, we hope you’ll consider joining our list of over 120 participating merchants. Call the Chamber during regular business hours and we’ll tell you about how easy it is to get set up.

Shop small, shop local, Shoptauqua!