Welcome
New Members
Allegro Photography
251 Bridge Road
Florence, MA 01062
Jo Kaplan Lee
(413) 254-3465
www.allegrophotography.com
Photographers
Beyond Landscape Contracting
20 Union Street
Northampton, MA 01060
David O'Neil
(413) 687-1181
Landscape Designers
Member Spotlight Continued:
works with students on the UMass and Smith campuses by
issuing credit cards with responsible credit lines to help them
build their credit history. In addition, the credit union participates in shared branching, which enables members to bank
at partnered credit unions though out the county.
For more information on the credit union and their new
branch, visit www.umassfive.org.
The Literacy Project
Pioneer Valley Adult Learning Center
15 Bank Row
Greenfield, MA 01060301
Judith Roberts
(413) 774-3934
www.literacyproject.org
Educational Services
New members
sponsored by
MEMBER BULLETINS Continued:
The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)
recently announced Heather Johnson of Heather Johnson
Associates as a professional member in the Association.
Membership is reserved for only the most capable and experienced independent educational consultants. It requires an
appropriate master’s degree or comparable training and a minimum of three years experience in counseling/admissions. In
addition, members must have visited a minimum of 50 campuses, met IECA’s professional standards and subscribe to its
Principles of Good Practice.
News and information to strengthen the Northampton area business community!
March 2008
Annual Meeting Features Highlights
and Achievements of 2007
At the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on
February 29 our impressive volunteers presented a year’s worth of the organization’s
achievements to a full house at the Hotel
Northampton. Special guest, Bob Bissell,
President of the Broad Brook Coalition, spoke
highly of the Chamber’s collaboration with
Broad Brook on a new wetlands regulation
passed in Northampton. “Retiring” President
Rick Feldman welcomed the Chamber’s 2008
President, Bill Dimmitt of the AXiA Group.
The Board of Directors elected the 2008
officers: Bill Dimmitt, Vice President Judith
Fine and Treasurer Rob Condon. Here are
the highlights of the year presented at the
meeting:
• Chamber members can build strong
business networks for sales, support and a
connection to our community.
The Chamber held 30+ highly attended networking events. These membership events
are a strong signature for the Chamber. New
faces attend each one and in 2007 an average
of 150 members attended the monthly
Arrive@5s.
The Chamber created the Northampton Area
Young Professionals affiliate, which already
has 100 members and is holding monthly
networking events. The incredibly fast pace
of NAYP membership growth is proof of the
need for this organization.
The Chamber’s web directory leads customers
to our members. In 2007, searches on our
web directory generated 1.2 million business
listings, 140,200 referrals and 50,600 visits to
member web sites!
Our visitor center gives information about
our members to about 800 people every
month. Between June and December, the
Chamber assisted 4,500 walk-in visitors, and
responded to 250 emails and 1,000 phone
calls about visiting the area.
• The Chamber has an important role
shaping local policy and regulations to
strengthen their attention to business and
economic impacts.
2007 Uncommon Volunteers:
Dan Kunhardt, Charles Bowles,
Barbara Hawkins and Rob Ostberg
In 2007, the Chamber successfully influenced
clearer and more reasonable language for
Northampton’s proposed wetlands ordinance.
By working with City officials, the Broad
Brook Coalition and others, the Chamber
helped balance business and environmental
perspectives that resulted in a strong environmental regulation widely supported by the
community.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
5-7 PM
New Century Theatre
Sponsored by: Pioneer Saab Volvo,
The Literacy Project
and Ink Solutions
$5 for members, $10 for Guests
• The Chamber represents business and
economic perspectives in local plans and
policies.
Continued on page 2.
Northampton Area Young
Professionals
Chamber Officers and
Program Chairs
President
Bill Dimmitt
AXiA Group
Vice President
Judith Fine
Gazebo
Treasurer
Rob Condon
Longley Associates
Membership Chair
Donna Davis-Speakes
Bank of Western Massachusetts
Economic Development Chair
Dennis Bidwell
Bidwell Advisors
Tourism Chair
Shawn Farley
Fine Arts Center at UMass
NAYP President
Ned Leutz
Webber & Grinnell Insurance
Arrive@5
Party with a Purpose
Thursday, April 10, 2008
5-8 PM
Packard’s Restaurant
Sponsored by:
The Valley Advocate
Free for members,
$5 for non-members
Arts Night Out
Friday, April 11, 2008
5-8 PM
Downtown Northampton
16th Annual Great
Chamber Auction
Friday, May 2, 2008
6:30-9:30 PM
Clarion Hotel &
Conference Center
Chamber Calendar
• Chamber members have strong visibility
with residents, businesses and travelers.
The Chamber provided our members with
affordable marketing opportunities through
the Best in Business Guide, our monthly mailings, newsletter advertising, web advertising,
and the Downtown Banner Program.
Annual Meeting article continued:
The Chamber significantly influenced the
quality of the Sustainable Northampton Plan
and the strength of its economic
development priorities. We
raised money for and facilitated the hiring of a highly
qualified consulting group
to guide the plan. This
plan will influence City
policies and land-use
decisions for the next 10
years.
• The Chamber creates significant economic opportunities for our
region.
The redevelopment of the 3-County
Fairgrounds is a major project of the
Chamber, working in partnership with the
City and Three County Fair Association.
When completed the redevelopment will create $30 million in new spending each year. In
2007 we worked to create a new Fairgrounds
Redevelopment Corporation that is responsible for the project’s planning, funding
and construction. A new $30,000 state
appropriation to the Chamber, secured by
Representative Peter Kocot and Senator Stan
Rosenberg, will pay for a master plan. New
federal language, secured by Congressman
Richard Neal, gives the project access to new
funding from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
• The Chamber’s destination marketing
promotes the area to new travel markets.
Member Spotlight:
created a new marketing strategy focusing on
lifestyle market niches rather than geographic
markets. With a grant from the Greater
Springfield Convention & Visitors
Bureau, the Chamber launched a
robust marketing campaign
directed at Gay and Lesbian
travelers; a high potential
tourist market for the
Northampton area.
UMassFive College Federal Credit Union
Opens First Branch in Northampton
Biweekly ads in InNewsWeekly promoted
Northampton to lesbian and gay travelers.
• A well-funded sustainable program will secure
the commercial vitality of
Downtown.
The
Downtown
Business
Improvement District is the right strategy for
a successful downtown. The Chamber supported the Steering Committee leading the
creation of a BID. The Steering Committee
conducted six focus groups and two public
forums, negotiated the Memorandum of
Understanding
with
the
City
of
Northampton, developed the BID assessment
formula; created the BID business plan, and
launched the petition campaign.
In 2007, the Chamber produced promotions
and events to generate foot traffic in
Downtown Northampton including: a
monthly Arts Night Out; Northampton
Sidewalk Sales; a 7-day Northampton
Restaurant Week; a web-based holiday gift
guide; and holiday advertising campaign. A
new Smith-Downtown collaboration created
its first kick off “Winter Weekend” promotion
in December. Downtown Gift Card sales for
the year reached $260,000.
Employees of the UMassFive
College Federal Credit Union
in the Northampton branch’s
Learning Library
Justin Pelis and Kate Glynn at a
NAYP event at Bishop’s Lounge.
• Chamber members are investors and
builders of business and community success.
Our members are actively involved in the
critical economic and civic issues of our area.
Our 40 Chamber Partners and 750 members
sustain all of the Chamber’s accomplishments. Our members’ continued long-term
investment in the Chamber creates a very stable foundation to plan an ambitious year of
programs and services for our members.
In 2007 the Chamber’s Tourism Committee
The UMassFive College Federal
Credit Union, long a fixture in
Amherst and Hadley, recently
opened their first branch on the
other side of the river, in the
Potpourri Plaza on King Street in
Northampton. The non-profit
credit union was started in 1967
by UMass employees. Amherst,
Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and
Smith Colleges were added as
part of the credit union in 1971.
Today, UMassFive College FCU
has over $220 million in assets
and over 20,000 members in the
education, non-profit, and
health care fields.
The main goal of the credit union is to grow the business while
maintaining the relationships they have built with their members.
They hope to improve the financial life of members by providing
financial wellness education; free seminars for their members are
available on such topics as Understanding your Credit Report and
Women and Investing. They also have financial advisors on staff that
offer free initial consultations.
Some of the special features at the new Northampton branch include
a Learning Library, which provides a wide range of books and magazines about financial topics; a coffee and tea bar; a coin counting
machine; and a three-kiosk computer area.
Another unique feature of the UMassFive College FCU is co-op
points. Co-op points are earned by members doing their everyday
banking and can be redeemed for such things as lower interest
rates. Points can be transferred to other members. The co-op also
continued on page 4
M E M B E R BU L L E T I N S
The Northampton Center for the Arts will be celebrating their 25th
Anniversary with a “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” party on Friday,
April 4 from 7-11 PM. Tickets are $25. The event will feature music
by the O-Tones. For more information call the Center at 584-7327.
Bid on Red Sox tickets or dinner with author Tracy Kidder at the Silent
and Live Auction to benefit Riverside Industries on Friday, April 4
from 6:30–9:30 PM. Advance tickets are $25 and include delicious
food and live entertainment. Riverside Industries, located in
Easthampton, offers a variety of innovative programs for people with
disabilities, including contract packaging, hand-assembly and fulfillment services to small businesses. For tickets, call 527-2711 or visit
www.rsi.org.
John Perkins, CFP® of Compass Planning Associates, a fee-only
financial planning firm, has been become a NAPFA Registered
Financial Advisor. NAPFA (National Association of Personal Financial
Advisors) is the nation’s leading fee-only financial planning organization that promotes a comprehensive approach to planning, a fiduciary
relationship between planner and client, achieving and maintaining
the highest levels of competency, which includes a code of ethics and
fiduciary oath.
Lander-Grinspoon Academy, The Solomon Schechter School of
Pioneer Valley recently announced the hiring of Bil Zarch as Head of
School. He previously served as director of Prozdor, the high school
of Hebrew College in Newton, for 10 years. In that time, he grew
enrollment from 175 to over 900 students. Bil will be assuming his
responsibilities this summer. LGS Schechter is an open and diverse
Jewish community providing K-6 education.
Don Lesser, President of Pioneer Training, Inc. and food columnist
for the Daily Hampshire Gazette was recently awarded a scholarship
to the prestigious Greenbrier Symposium for Professional Food
Writers. The scholarship was awarded based on Don’s article, Into the
Fire, an account of a week-long class he took at the Culinary Institute
of America at Hyde Park. The Symposium is limited to professional
food writers and editors. Speakers include publisher Lisa Ekus-Saffer
from Hatfield.
continued on page 4
Chamber Auction Turns Sweet 16!
The Great Northampton Chamber Auction
returns on Friday, May 2nd to celebrate its
16th year. With delicious food, tempting
auction items, the most famous event of
the spring returns to the Clarion Hotel and
Conference Center from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.
Jenny Pelissier, Louise Deren and Noreen
Hayes- the Auction Co-Chairs
The 2008 Great Northampton Chamber
Auction co-chairs are Louise Deren of
Linda Manor Extended Care Facility,
Noreen Mickiewicz Hayes of Borawski
Insurance, and Jenny Pelissier of the Daily
Hampshire Gazette.
News and information to strengthen the Northampton area business community!
March 2008