-
President & CEO outlines 2017 accomplishments, 2018 goals
At the Contact Breakfast on January 18, Chamber President & CEO Frank Castella, Jr. highlighted the Chamber's accomplishments in 2017 and outlook for 2018 in his State of the Chamber address. The text of his address is below. A video is available on Facebook HERE.
It has been a privilege for me to serve as President and CEO of this organization and I am pleased to report your Chamber is stronger than ever!
Value of member benefits, education, advocacy and economic growth have been our focus over this past year and will remain key components of our continued success in 2018. Our management team will endure to improve targeted outreach, foster member connections and involvement, and yet again increase the impact our Chamber has on this community.
The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce is an independent organization, primarily funded by our members. We are governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, comprised of business leaders who have a shared vision to improve the Hudson Valley business community. I would like to take a moment to personally thank and recognize Rita McPeck for serving as Board Chair in the last year. Her continued dedication to this organization does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated. I am pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside our new and returning board members, led by the President, CEO and Founder of S&O Construction Services, 2018 Board Chair, Mr. Jeffrey Senft.
In an effort to establish a board of directors reflective of our diverse economy – our Nominating Committee has sought individuals to serve from a cross spectrum of industries, representing both small and large employers. This year we welcome:- From RBT CPA’s, Susan Howell
- From Antalek & Moore Insurance, Vincent Lemma
- From Mobile Life Support Services, Timothy Scannell
- And newly elected Executive Board Member, from The Chazen Companies, Lauren Gillett.
To all who have volunteered, sponsored, or otherwise supported the Chamber this past year, on behalf of the business community, I THANK YOU! For 2018, under the management of Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Rich Kleban, our Corporate Sponsorships have once again surpassed previous years, making this year the highest level of support the Chamber has ever achieved!
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge the 45 returning and new organizations for pledging their support as Corporate Sponsors. If you’ll turn your attention to the screen on my left and please hold your applause until the end:
Corporate Leaders:- Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation
- Health Quest
- IBM Corporation
- and KeyBank.
- Bonura Hospitality Group
- Coffee System of the Hudson Valley
- DCH Wappingers Falls Toyota
- Hudson Valley Audio Visual
- iHeart Media
- Integrated Enterprise Solutions
- M & T Bank
- MidHudson Regional Hospital
- Poughkeepsie Galleria
- Poughkeepsie Journal Media
- RBT CPAs, LLP
- Rose & Kiernan Inc.
- And Royal Carting Service Company
- Adams Fairacre Farms
- Branding Pros
- D'Arcangelo & Co.
- Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union
- Marshall & Sterling Insurance
- Mehl & Associates, CPA's
- Mid-Hudson Civic Center
- N & S Supply
- Quality Environmental Solutions & Technologies, Inc.
- Rhinebeck Bank
- Riverside Bank a Division of Salisbury Bank and Trust Company
- S&O Construction Services
- ServiceMaster Restore by NEST
- Stenger, Roberts, Davis & Diamond, SRDD Law
- TEG Federal Credit Union
- The Arc of Dutchess
- And Tompkins Mahopac Bank
- CareMount Medical
- Hudson Valley Renegades
- Fortress Financial Advisory
- Judelson, Giordano & Siegel CPA’s
- Mackey Butts & Wise
- Meyer Contracting
- Mobile Life Support Services
- And Ulster Savings Bank
- ABC Go Digital
- Oldies 98.9
- HVNN.com
- And Radio Woodstock
We are in constant communication with our members and reacting to the ongoing needs of local businesses and organizations. In the last several years we have reengineered our Membership Department to be the conduit for members to make connections, receive referrals and find resources. One new example; is The President’s Circle, which gives members special recognition and access to exclusive events. I’d like to acknowledge and thank the charter member of the President’s Circle, S&O Construction Services.
This year is the Year of the Veteran here in Dutchess County. In collaboration with the County of Dutchess and partner organizations, the Chamber is proud to offer complimentary promotional opportunities for our veteran-owned member businesses. If you are, or know of a veteran-owned business, I invite you to participate in this unique prospect for your enterprise to be highlighted and thank you for your service to our country.
Our events continue to see an increase in support, higher-than-ever attendance, and added superior value. As a result of your feedback, we have updated many of our events with greater visibility, creativity, ease of registration, and improved venue rotation.
Our Think Local First Expo was rebranded as the Think Local First Business and Hospitality Expo – offering an inclusive Business After Hours and Hospitality Garden, sponsored by Adam’s Fairacre Farms. The Expo was a sell-out with more than 80 exhibitors – and over 90 percent of them responded on their surveys – their organization received quality connections, valuable referrals, and will be exhibiting once again this year.
The Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival website has substantially grown traffic, from 10,000 page views a few short years ago, to over 257,000 balloonfesthv.com visits!
The key is how this correlates to exposure and economic impact for our members and the region. Overall traffic in our membership directory significantly increased in the categories you would expect, sponsor advertising exceeded 1.5 million impressions, and coupon downloads more than tripled the monthly average. People from all over the world attended and patronized our local vendors, stayed at our hotels and bed & breakfasts, dined in our restaurants, generated sales tax revenue and were exposed to our beautiful and historic Hudson Valley. The feedback from our balloonist rated our festival within the top five in the country and they now love to come here. We will soon be announcing some significant changes to festival for July of 2018. What I can say now is… it will be BIG for Dutchess County!
Last year we launched ‘Chamber Network, Present, and Refer,’ it quickly became so popular we scheduled an extra edition of this industry-exclusive event. We have added a further emphasis on membership education and opened up our quarterly Master Your Membership Luncheon to all members, not just new members. We also added the Chamber 102 Business Education Seminar – to ensure our members know exactly what their dues provide – and how they can maximize their Chamber investment.
Did you know the Chamber publicizes business news and events? Thanks to our very successful partnership with Poughkeepsie Journal Media, the ‘Hudson Valley Business Scene’ highlights an average of 25 to 30 members every Monday in the paper. Your news item may appear not only in the Journal, but also on our website and in our monthly Bottom Line newsletter, once again adding an exceptional value to being part of the Chamber of Commerce. For their continued partnership, we would like to thank Poughkeepsie Journal Media.
I am proud to highlight the work of our Chamber committees. The Hudson Valley Young Professionals continue to expand programming – including taking on two major fundraising events – raising over $10,000 to benefit The Chamber Foundation!
The Health & Wellness Committee continues to provide robust offerings. From a family bike safety rodeo, to the third installment of its popular Run Local First Team Training program, the committee strives to improve the lifestyles and wellness of our members and their families.
Whether you volunteer for our Women’s Leadership Alliance, Gala, 40 Under Forty or Headliner Awards Selection Committees, Nonprofit, Business Education, or any of the more than 27 Chamber or Foundation committees – we thank you for your commitment. For those of you not involved at the committee level, I can tell you firsthand it is one of the most rewarding aspects of membership, a great way to build relationships, network, and strengthen the community.
The Chamber is first and foremost an advocate; we are the union and voice for local business. I will also tell you, New York's business climate must change to encourage growth. According to The Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index; New York currently has the 49th worst business tax climate, 49th highest individual income tax, 47th highest property tax, 43rd highest sales tax, and 30th highest unemployment insurance tax. This has led to one of the overall highest cost of living and doing business in the nation.
Census data shows New York, over the past year, has lost more residents than it has gained. We recognize this trend is unsustainable and must be addressed. Our Legislative Action Committee continues to be a voice on behalf of businesses and we continue to work with our elected officials to offer harmonious solutions. We partner with invaluable organizations like The Business Council of New York to keep us informed, address and advocate on state, local, and federal issues. We are working with developers and local government to streamline the planning and development process as well as the repeal of FIT Chargebacks, the MTA tax, and reform the Scaffold Law.
We will strive to be a proponent for improving the business environment here in New York. We will continue to advocate for the best interests of the business community. We will also be a constant reminder to our elected officials; government cannot continue to lean on businesses to fund their loose spending, idealistic programs and failures.
A full listing of our legislative initiatives can be found on the Chamber’s website.
One of the strongest assets of our Chamber is the great success of our 501C3 nonprofit extension, The Chamber Foundation. Under the leadership of Executive Director Nicholas Shannon, the Foundation’s Board of Directors are dedicated to providing scholastic opportunities for youth and the workforce. I am pleased to acknowledge the Chair, from Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, Amy Dittmar, as well as the Foundation’s newest board members:- From Liberty Mutual Insurance, Staci Cussick
- And from Key Construction Services, Alfred Torreggiani.
The Chamber Foundation now offers signature leadership and mentorship programming that includes:- Youth Leadership – with 80 high school sophomores and juniors, enrolled.
- Leadership Dutchess – with 29 business professionals.
- Leadership Connections Mentorship Program – has 38 Poughkeepsie High School students paired with 14 community business professionals.
- The Career Achievement Mentorship Program – has 15 adult mentor pairs helping professionals achieve the next step in their career.
- The Executive Leadership Program – is a high-level continuing education series.
- The Dutchess Youth One Stop Program – works with over 130 at-risk youth in our community to complete educational goals and find careers.
- And the ATHENA Leadership Program – has recognized more than 100 honorees for their professional excellence community service, and advocacy for women.
The Chamber Foundation is known regionally for creative program design, but our Chamber of Commerce has been recognized around the state for benchmark Workforce Development Programming.
We have a strong partnership with the Department of Community and Family Services, led by Commissioner Sabrina Marzouka and Deputy Commissioner Theresa Giovanniello. The Workforce Connections Program continues to thrive, serving over 120 adult participants – improving skills and placing them on career paths – ultimately building a stronger and more vibrant workforce.
The groundbreaking Career Action Center is a partnership with the City of Poughkeepsie School District under the leadership of Dr. Nicole Williams. Students visited the Center 2,600 times in the last academic year – seeking assistance with resume building, career searches, job and scholarship applications, and more.
The potential to expand elements of this valuable student resource, led us to a partnership with the Hyde Park Central School District and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Greer Rychcik. This past year we helped to deliver a Career Fair for FDR High School students and now have plans to further assist other districts with scholar advancement across Dutchess County.
At this time, I ask that you join me in applauding the efforts of our partners in workforce and educational development; Commissioner Marzouka, Deputy Commissioner Giovanniello, Dr. Williams and Dr. Rychick.
In closing, what I have shared with you this morning barely scratches the surface of value your Chamber has to offer. Our role and function is to be a driving force in our economy. As I look out at the crowd this morning, and at the banner behind me, I am reminded of the many business leaders and organizations that stand with us in creating the best place to live and work. Rest assured, we will continue to raise the bar for what it means to be a Chamber of Commerce, and will continue to be a front-runner in this region’s path to economic success. I’d like to thank the Board of Directors, my executive team (Audra, Rich, and Nick), the entire professional staff, and especially you, our members, for your continued support and faith in the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce to lead the business community.
Thank you!