Getting involved in the New Year: benefits of your membership

As the New Year begins, I would like to take a moment to give encouragement, a few reasons to join, and easy ways to get involved in the Chamber. 

It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve as President & CEO of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, and I appreciate the continued support I receive in this role. It is my goal to ensure you are getting the most out of the organization and that you are engaged with what we have to offer. 

I understand your time is more valuable to you than ever. That being said, we do our best at the Chamber to adapt with you and the economy, and relieve the pressures on businesses when and where we can. We strive to provide our members with resources that support their growth and development. To aide with this, I have suggestions that can help all of us in the end. 

Think Local First! Throughout the year - even if it may seem trivial to you - it may not be to the small business that is relying on your purchase to keep the doors open. You can source from the Chamber's online business directory or from ShopTheHudson Valley.com (powered by the Chamber). Here you can find or highlight your business with exclusive offers, discounts and deals. 

Stay informed. We continue to work hard to ensure our members are prepared for new federal, state and local laws and provide updates to the business community as we learn of changes to regulations. Receive regular updates from 
us via email so you can stay well informed when regulations change and to safeguard that your company remains compliant. 

Attend events when and where you can. We will also continue to host our events at different times and locations throughout the community. These moves are done purposefully to accommodate most schedules. We want our members to have an opportunity to participate in order to reap the benefits. 

Provide feedback to the Chamber. This helps us to stay relevant and continue to add value to all of our members. Please do not assume we have heard it before or will not listen. 

These are just a few things in the New Year we can do collectively to empower the business community and steps you can take to gain ground in expanding your organization and strengthen our economy. This Chamber is part of a winning team of business owners and organizations who, together, do great things. 

If you have not been involved with the organization in some time or as much as you would like to, then this is the opportunity to pick one or two things to get involved in. If you are not sure where to start, please contact me directly and it would be a pleasure to go over ways you can benefit from your investment in the Chamber. 

In closing, I would like to thank the Board of Directors, professional staff, and especially our members, for your continued support. Here's to a new year, a new beginning and continued prosperity for the Hudson Valley region!