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CHAMBER ALLIANCE OF THE MOHAWK VALLEYChamber Alliance meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month. All members of any of the participating Chambers of Commerce from Boonville, Camden, Clinton, Herkimer County, Kuyahoora Valley, Marcy, New Hartford, Rome, and Trenton are welcome to attend. |
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MembershipChamber Alliance Member Websiteswww.boonvillechamber.org Posted: 17 Jan 2008 CAMV is an association of independent chambers that meet monthly for information sharing, mutual support, advocacy, education, and joint planning. Established in 1997, CAMV's purpose is to represent and promote the collective interest of the Chambers of Commerce of the Mohawk Valley—that geographic area which includes, but is not limited to, Herkimer County and Oneida County. Approximately 2,000 Mohawk Valley businesses, organizations, individuals, and professional firms are represented by the alliance chambers. |
Notes & News
The Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley (CAMV) has elected the following officers for 2008Mary Morse, President Mary is owner of Kwik-Kut Mfg. Co. in Mohawk, and is in her second term as president of the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, part owner and secretary of Fitzer Homes Inc., and district deputy of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. "I'm very pleased to have this opportunity, having been one of the founding members of the Alliance," she said. Joan is owner of Oak Tree Advertising Promotions, Blossvale, and a member of the Camden Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors, having previously served as president and executive director. In 1990, she was Citizen of the Year. She is a member of the Verona First Presbyterian Church, serving as a deacon. Mike is owner of West Canada Creek Campsites located in Poland, NY, and president of the Kuyahoora Valley Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the board of directors of Campground Owners of New York. Kathy is a founding member of the Trenton Chamber of Commerce and past president of CAMV. Her community involvement includes the West Canada Riverkeepers, Adirondack Foothills Visitor Information Center, Adirondack Scenic Railroad (Polar Express), YWCA, Red Cross, and Junior League. She works as a Business Relationship Consultant whose main clients are Bruce Kellogg CLU, ChFC and Chris Kellogg both in the financial services industry Posted: 31 Mar 2008 Chamber Alliance Votes to Support Genesis STRIVE SeminarAll members of the Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley have agreed to be participating sponsors and will have complimentary vendor tables at the event: Camden Chamber, Marcy Chamber, Boonville Chamber, New Hartford Chamber, Rome Chamber, Trenton Chamber, Kuyahoora Valley Chamber, Herkimer County Chamber, Clinton Chamber. Posted: 29 Sep 2007 July meeting, hosted by Herkimer County ChamberThe meeting was held on Wed, July 18th at the Portobello Inn, a very quaint Bed & Breakfast just outside of Herkimer going east to Little Falls on RT 5. Peggy O'Shea, President of the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties Inc., was guest speaker, and discussed the mission, history, and successes of "your community foundation". Many in attendance testified to project and emergency support from the Community Foundation that has made a positive difference in our communities. Posted: 29 Sep 2007 June meeting at Alteri's Restaurant in ClintonMr. Patrick H. Brennan, NYS Director USDA Rural Development, was Guest Speaker. Mr. Brennan has recently returned to the USDA Rural Development State Director's post after serving as the New York State Agricultural Commissioner. He spoke on how USDA Rural Development has had a positive impact on New York's quality of life. USDA Rural Development invested more than $250 million in economic and community development efforts in 2006. Projects funded ranged from ethanol plants and renewable energy projects, to the construction of fire houses, libraries, multi-family housing complexes, individual homes and water lines, to the development of new markets for farmers and small businesses. Posted: 29 Sep 2007 May Meeting, hosted by Camden.The meeting was held on Wed, May 16 was held at Beck's Grove, with a presentation by Steven Benjamin, president of Performance Wire & Cable in Camden. Posted: 29 Sep 2007 April meeting hosted by the Clinton Chamber
Seven of the neighboring chambers were represented at the April meeting of the Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley which included a tour of the Stanley Theater in Utica, hosted by the Clinton Chamber. First row, left to right: Bob Jones, Boonville Chamber, Lorraine Joseph, CNY Community Arts Council, Mary LaBreche, Herkimer County Chamber, Bill Guglielmo, Rome Chamber. Last row: Ron Thiele, CNY Community Arts Council, Phil Williams, Trenton Chamber, Ferris Betrus, Clinton Chamber, Mark Turnbull, New Hartford Chamber, John Grace, Marcy Chamber. The status of the $18.5 million Stanley expansion project was explained; the theatre is owned and operated by CNYCAC and is a driving economic force in downtown Utica and CNY region. Minutes CHAMBER ALLIANCE OF THE MOHAWK VALLEY APRIL 18, 2007, STANLEY THEATRE. PRESENT: Ferris Betrus, Cathy Waller - Clinton Chamber, John Grace - Marcy Chamber, Mark Turnbull - New Hartford Chamber, Mary Morse, Mary LaBreche, John Scarano - Herkimer County Chamber, Bill Guglielmo - Rome Chamber, Bob Jones - Boonville Chamber, Phil Williams - Trenton Chamber. Guests: Ron Thiele & Lorraine Joseph from the CNYCAC. Meeting opened at 12:30 by Ferris Betrus, President. Motion to accept the minutes of the last meeting was made by John Scarano, 2nd and passed. Boonville was complimented on taking great minutes. Discussion whether the Rome Chamber should email chambers about upcoming events. It was felt that it was a good idea to spread the word about events from the entire area, and all were encouraged to send their news to Rome. John Scarano reported that Herkimer County Chamber's annual luncheon would be held at the Little Falls Best Western on April 26th. The speaker will be Daniel Gunderson of NYS Empire Development Corp. They are also honoring Geraty Pools and Spas as Business Persons of the Year, Herkimer Veterinary Associates as Business of the Year and The Great American Irish Festival as Promotional Event of the Year. John Scarano reported that he and Roberta Cavano have discussed upcoming events for the Alliance. Some ideas were to bring Mr. Gunderson back to meet with all of the Chambers. A discussion was held on the Alliance placing an ad in the Oneida County Visitor's Guide. It has a circulation of 120,000 and would be a good opportunity for the Alliance and its members. Discussion followed on whether each Chamber would have a separate box ad within the ad or a general ad for Oneida and Herkimer Counties. Bill will look into the rates and get back to us by email. Meeting ended with a presentation by Ron Thiele about the building project at the Stanley and a tour to actually see the great work being done. Minutes taken by Mary Morse, Herkimer County. Posted: 29 Sep 2007 March MeetingThe March 2007 CAMV luncheon was held on March 21, at the Hulbert House, Boonville NY at noon. Speaker: 'Chief' Terry Kennison, General Manager of National Electrical Systems, a nationwide supplier of heavy electrical equipment, spoke about his version of "The World is Flat". Posted: 29 Sep 2007 March Meeting, hosted by the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce The February 21st meeting of the Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley was held at Mid-York Library System (MYLS) in Utica. Present: Pictured above are Mark Turnbull-New Hartford, Phil Williams-Trenton, Joan Drummond & Carol Milliman EstesCamden, Mary Morse-Herkimer County, Mary Lou Caskey-Mid-York Library System, Ferris Betrus-Clinton, John Scarano-Herkimer County, Sherm Stein-Marcy. Also attending: Roberta Cavano, Lori Losowski, Bill Gray, Bill Guglielmo-Rome; Bob Jones-Boonville; Kathy Kellogg-Trenton; Bonnie Ricci-Herkimer County; Ann Harris-Mid-York Library System. The mission of MYLS is to improve and expand library services in the counties of Madison, Herkimer, and Oneida by serving its 43 member libraries with these services: Posted: 29 Sep 2007 Clinton & Herkimer County Chambers to head alliance
(January 2007) The Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley announced this week the re-election of Ferris Betrus and Mary Morse to a second terms as president and vice president, respectively, of the 2-county Alliance. Ferris is the executive vice president of the Clinton Chamber, and serves as a board member of the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency, Oneida County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Utica Chapter of the American Red Cross, Genesis Group, and is the contract administrator for General Motors' sponsorship of the Utica Boilermaker. Contact Ferris at 853-1735 or info@clintonnychamber.org. Mary is president this year of the Herkimer County Chamber, serves on several community organizations, and since 1989 has been owner of Kwik-Kut Mfg Co in Mohawk. The company, in business since 1946, manufactures and distributes food choppers and kitchen gadgets to restaurant suppliers, wholesalers, hardware stores, and individual consumers. She has six employees and ships approx 125,000 products a year. Established in 1997, the Alliance was formed to represent and promote the collective interests of the chambers in our region. CAMV provides a formal structure for addressing business concerns such as workers' compensation, health insurance, energy, and other issues that impact the health of our regional business community. The newest member of the Alliance is Mike Papp of the Kuyahoora Valley Chamber. Welcome, Mike!! Posted: 29 Sep 2007 Business Council's Annual Legislative Reception
(January, 2007) Manufacturers Assn of CNY President Randy Wolken, left, Mohawk Valley Chamber President Matt Stubley, and Rome Chamber President Bill Guglielmo met Senator Joe Griffo in Albany at the Business Council's annual Legislative Reception at the Crowne Plaza in January. As members of the Cham- ber Alliance of NYS, Matt and Bill attended a two-day professional development conference w/ 80+ other chamber execs from across the state. During the conference, the Business Council announced the top 5 issues of concern that were prioritized by nearly 1,100 of its statewide members: 1) Employee health care, which is becoming unaffordable and puts workers in danger of losing coverage; 2) Workers' Comp, which has high employer costs yet rela- tively low maximum benefits for injured workers; 3) Energy costs-electric rates in NY run 70% above the Nat'l average; 4) Business taxes-well above the Nat'l avg; and 5) Liability insurance and lawsuits, having a major impact on the cost of construction due to absolute liability on building owners. New York State's broken workers' compensation system is costing jobs, hurting businesses, treating injured workers unfairly, and is in desperate need of reform, according to the New York Workers' Compensation Action Network (NYCAN), the Business Council of New York State, Inc. (BCNYS), and the Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley (representing Boonville, Camden, Clinton, Herkimer, Kuyahoora Valley, Marcy, Mohawk Valley, New Hartford, Trenton, Rome). ³Businesses cannot continue to pay the price of a dysfunctional workers' comp system that is choking too many big and small businesses,² said Ferris Betrus of the Clinton Chamber and President of the Chamber Alliance of the MV. ³Reform has to be at the top of the agenda before the Legislature adjourns this year." Tom Rahn, Past Chairman of the Rome Chamber Board, said: ³Contrary to popular belief business is not against workers' compensation. The program was originally designed to assist employers in protecting the employee from loss of income due to a work related injury and for covering the extra expenses associated with a job-related injury or illness. In other words, it was designed to be no fault insurance program to assist the employee and the employer in getting the worker rehabilitated and back to work as quickly as possible. Business cannot operate without their employees.² ³What we are opposed to is a system that no longer serves the needs of the injured worker (recipients) or the businesses that pay the total cost of maintaining and operating the program. What we are recommending is an overhaul to the program that will reduce out of pocket expenses on the part of the employer, while at the same time increasing the benefits paid to the injured worker. Our recommendations do not include reducing workers' benefits. However, they do include reducing the amount of time Workers' Compensation takes to navigate our complex state legal system thereby driving up cost and time the worker is off the job. We are also opposed to current provisions of the systems that encourage workers to seek permanent disability status rather than return to meaning work,² Tom said. Larry Gilroy, Chairman of NYCAN, said: ³The cost of workers' compensation is one of the leading causes that businesses point to when they are forced to eliminate jobs or create new jobs in other states. The Governor has proposed meaningful and realistic reforms and now the Legislature must do its part and make those reforms a reality.² Urge Your NY Legislators to Enact Meaningful Workers' Comp Reform Now!! Posted: 29 Sep 2007 |
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