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Welcome Small Business Revolution!

It was a thrill to be in the room this past week when The Small Business Revolution announced that Fredonia was the winner in its Season 5 competition! When the show’s co-host Amanda Brinkman walked onto the stage at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center the crowd roared!

It’s been a wild ride over the past couple of months as Fredonia was nominated by village native Grace Czechowski, admittedly we were not sure where this journey would take us. The next thing we knew, Fredonia was named to the Top 10, and then to the Top 5. The enormous outpouring of support from all over Western New York, and all over the country, has been heartwarming. Not just local people, but SUNY Fredonia alumni, friends and family from all over the United States and in far-away countries, were happy to use #myfredonia in their social media posts, and to vote every day on every device for a week.

The local committee that organized so much of these efforts was diligent about keeping information in front of the businesses and the community as a whole in a variety of ways. We had enormous assistance and support from organizations, businesses, and individuals from all across Chautauqua County.

Now, as we celebrate this success, we know there is more work to be done. Businesses in the 14063 Fredonia zip code have until midnight Monday, February 3 to fill out the online application. Business should go to www.votemyfredonia.com to link to the registration. The Small Business Revolution will select seven local businesses to be featured this coming season, but all local businesses will feel the reverberations from the $500,000 business revitalization investment by Deluxe Corporation into our community. We all hope to learn important lessons about business management, marketing, and operations. We have already learned great lessons about how we can work together as a team to create something wonderful in Chautauqua County.

Thank you to everyone who voted, who hash-tagged, and who showed up for a series of rallies that filled the 1891 Opera House and Performing Arts Center. Thank you to all who worked behind the scenes to make this happen. Thank you to the committee that relentlessly walked the streets in Fredonia to spread the word. It’s been a joy to watch this unfold and to be part of a movement. Let’s all welcome the team from The Small Business Revolution as they prepare to come to Fredonia to begin filming in the weeks ahead!

Enhanced HR dashboard is now online

The Chamber and Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier have successfully provided access to online sexual harassment compliance training for more than 370 local businesses in recent months. Now, that system is changing just a bit. The former Training 360 dashboard that had been used for managing employee access to the training program has been migrated to a new and enhanced Learning Management System Dashboard. There has been a few issues with conversation to the new system, but we are here to help you with that process. You will need new login credentials for the new enhanced system. If you need assistance please call our office and we can help you. In the meantime, any member business that has questions can feel free to call the Chamber office at 366-6200 or 484-1101.

Celebrating winter on Presidents Day Weekend

The Presidents Day Weekend Winter Festival is February 14-16 at Lakeside Park in Mayville. This spectacular annual event celebrates our wonderful winter season here in Chautauqua County. It features construction of a large ice castle on the shore of Chautauqua Lake (weather permitting) at 6 p.m., Feb. 14, followed by the Queen of Hearts Ice Ball under the big tent from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Throughout the weekend there will be activities, games, crafts, vendors, a beer & wine tent, carriage rides, ice hockey, an ice fishing contest, a snowball contest, chili cook-off, music, the Polar Plunge to benefit food pantries in Western New York, a 5K run by Chautauqua Striders, an amazing fireworks display, and much more!

Volunteers are needed for a variety of positions during this huge event. If you want to help, please call or email Jacquelyn Sasso, Mayville-Chautauqua Community Chamber Coordinator, at 366-6200 or jsasso@chautauquachamber.org.

In addition, the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel will hold its second annual Fire & Ice Celebration Feb. 13-15. Over 20,000 pounds of meticulously carved ice sculptures will be on display along with music, food, martini luges, fireworks, and more. Tickets are $25 per person and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Child Advocacy Program in Chautauqua County. For more information contact the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel at (716) 489-2800.

Business After Hours at EBC West Feb. 18

Join the Chautauqua County and Fredonia Community Chambers of Commerce for an Experience Chautauqua Business After Hours networking event, Tuesday, February 18 at EBC West, 34 West Main Street, Fredonia.

This great event has become something of a tradition in recent years, and now there’s a new twist. Beginning this year, the Chamber invites our local business members to send two representatives to our Business After Hours events for free — covered by the cost of the your membership. Pre-registration is required for free attendance. Additional employees can attend at a cost of $13 per person, and non-members and walk-ins will pay $16 per person. The Chamber’s Business After Hours series is held at a variety of locations all over the county throughout the year, and each features appetizers, a cash bar, and door prizes. Register now to attend this great event by calling the Chamber at (716) 366-6200 or through our online calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org.

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