April07 e-newsletter

April e-newsletter

Chamber News

Leadership Columbia County - Now Accepting Applications
Leadership Columbia County is looking for candidates for the Class of 2007-08. The Chamber Board feels Leadership Columbia County is vital to building strong future leaders that will work in the best interest of the community. This newly enhanced program now under the administration of the Chamber will include some of the most popular historical components, but will also feature new speakers, topics and host locations. The program brings together a diverse group of professionals from financial services, education, healthcare, the arts, community organizations, government and other sectors. We encourage all Columbia County businesses to consider sending an applicant to the program for the 2007-08 class. Leadership Columbia County will be profiled in the Business Section of the Register Star on April 5. Please click here to read the full article and application.

Legislative Breakfast - April 13, 2007
Come meet your local and state legislators at the Chamber's annual Legislative Breakfast on Friday, April 13. The breakfast will feature Senator Stephen Saland, and newly elected Assemblymen Marc Molinaro Peter Lopez, and Tim Gordon. The legislators will be speaking about their 2007 plans and beyond. The breakfast will be held at Columbia-Greene Community College from 7:30 to 9:00 am. The cost is $15. Please click here for more information.

Sponsorship Opportunities for 2007
There are still many great sponsorship opportunities to take advantage of in 2007 to promote your business. Don't miss this opportunity to market your company to the Columbia County business community. Event sponsorship enables us to provide high quality programming for our members, advocacy and promotion for your business. Please click here for a 2007 sponsorship form.

Women's Networking Luncheon - April 18, 2007
Jackson's Old Chatham House will host the Women's Networking Luncheon on Wednesday, April 18 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm. Additional networking will be available until 2:00 pm. Networking luncheons provide a great opportunity for area businesspeople to promote their business to other business professionals. Jackson's Old Chatham House is located in the Village Square in Old Chatham. The cost is $18 for members and $24 for non-members. Please click here for more information.

Darrow School After Hours - April 26, 2007
Darrow School will host a Business After Hours on Thursday, April 26 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Darrow School offers a unique education dedicated to serving students with diverse backgrounds and abilities, building on each student's individual talents and interests to inspire enduring confidence for success in college and life. Darrow School is located on a beautiful mountainside and is a National Historic Landmark, rich in Shaker heritage. Join us to see the diversity of this outstanding school. Darrow School is located at 110 Darrow Road in New Lebanon. Please click here for more information.

Introduction to Board Membership Seminar - May 1, 2007
In partnership with the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation the Chamber is sponsoring a one-day seminar focusing on Introduction to Board Membership on May 1. The session will introduce participants to the essentials of non-profit boards and non-profit board membership. It will provide a basic foundation for helping prospective members to understand what to expect and what is expected of them. It will also be useful to board members looking to recruit new members. The seminar will be lead by Michael E. Burns. He is a partner in the firm of Brody Weiser Burns based in Bradford, CT. Mike has 25 years of consulting experience and has written and edited several books on non-profit management and fundraising. The seminar will be held at the Hudson Opera House on Warren Street in Hudson from 9:00 am to noon. The cost is $40 per person or $60 for teams of two. Please contact the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to register by calling 413-528-8039.

The Salvation Army Business After Hours - May 17, 2007
The Salvation Army will host a Business After Hours on Thursday, May 17 in celebration of Salvation Army Week. Come and enjoy great food and raffle prizes! The Salvation Army provides services to thousands of people in need each year in Columbia County. Some of these services include the soup kitchen which provides free healthy meals five times a week to people in need, stuff a bus a fundraiser created to benefit local school children that could not afford to fulfill the list of required school supplies, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Dinner, Disaster relief, and much more. The Salvation Army also supports Camp Long Point and sends 25 local children to the summer camp. The After Hours will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The Salvation Army is located at 40 South 3rd Street in Hudson. Reservations are not required, but appreciated. Please click here for reservations.

18th Annual Golf Tournament - May 21, 2007
Get your golf clubs ready for the 18th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, May 21 at Columbia Golf and Country Club. Registration and lunch will begin at noon and play begins at 1:00 pm with a shotgun start. The early bird rate valid through May 7 is $140. Reservations include golf, cart, lunch, open-bar cocktail hour, and dinner. We will once again have fabulous hole-in-one prizes for this year's tournament and the $50,000 Combo Putt Off. Twelve lucky golfers will be chosen by raffle for a chance to putt for the cash. Reserve early as this is a sellout tournament. Please click here for more information.

Agricultural Awareness Brunch - Post Event News
Over 90 guests in attendance learned about the exciting new Columbia County Bounty program at the Agricultural Awareness Brunch on March 14. The sold out event featured a panel of speakers and a keynote by Phil Gottwals of Agricultural & Community Development Services, LLC. The Columbia County Bounty program was unveiled by Chamber Director and Bounty co-founder Chef David Robinson of Bezalel Gables Fine Catering and Events. The program worked to establish connections between farmers and restaurants/chefs, so that chefs can buy local products to use in their place of business. A directory of of 65 farms and 56 restaurants/chefs is available at the Chamber office. You may become a Charter Member of Columbia County Bounty for $25. That entitles you to the binder, a member decal and access to exclusive events throughout the year. Look for member decals in the windows of your favorite establishments that are supporters of this program. Please click here for more post event information and a Columbia County Bounty application.

Chamber Stats
During the month of March the Chamber answered 510 phone calls, sent out 11 relocation guides and welcomed over 275 members to events. The Chamber website was visited over 19,384 times or more than 650 times daily. For more information about your Chamber of Commerce contact the staff at mail@columbiachamber-ny.com.

Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP)
If your small business is faced with a technical challenge SATOP can provide up to 40 hours of FREE technical assistance for qualified requests, utilizing the vast engineering expertise of NASA and participating Alliance Partners (NASA contractors, sub-contractors or Universities). SATOP is designed to speed the transfer of US Space Program knowledge and technology to small businesses, to provide economic benefits to the community, and to raise public awareness of the Space program. Please click here for more information.

Member News

The Hudson Opera House will host the 13th Annual Movable Feast on Saturday, April 14. Local Bed & Breakfasts, businesses and private homes open their doors and their hearts to support the Hudson Opera House's commitment to serve everyone in the community. This very special Movable Feast of fine dining and good times begins at 6:30 pm at the Opera House on Warren Street with an assortment of hors d'oeuvres and fine wines. Then at 7:30 pm dinner is served at a variety of locations and guests will return to the Opera House at 9:30 pm for dessert and a raffle drawing. Tickets for the event are $75. For more information about Hudson Opera House call (518) 822-1438 or visit their website site at www.hudsonoperahouse.org.

The Columbia-Greene Workforce New York Career Center will hold the Spring Job Fair on Tuesday, April 24 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The job fair will be held at Columbia-Greene Community College. Positions will be available in a variety of fields including human services, health care, banking, sales, management, customer service and many more. Participants are encouraged to bring their resumes for review by the Workforce Center prior to the job fair. For more information about the Columbia-Greene New York Career Center call (518) 828-4181 ext. 5510 or visit their website at www.columbiagreeneworks.org.

First Niagara Bank is pleased to name Thomas L. Amell as Eastern New York regional president, succeeding Carl A. Florio. Amell will oversee First Niagara's banking and other financial services in the Eastern Region, which includes 60 branches and $2.7 billion in deposits in a 12-county area surrounding Albany. In addition, he will oversee First Niagara's statewide business banking development. First Niagara currently has eight branches throughout Columbia County providing a full array of financial services including business and personal banking, investments and insurance. For more information about First Niagara Bank call (518) 828-4331 or visit their website site at www.fnfg.com.

Capital District Physicians' Health Plan (CDPHP) announced that Hugh Kelley Riley, MD, MBA, has been appointed medical director. In this position, Dr. Riley will help guide the operations and endeavors of the medical affairs division. Founded and guided by physicians, CDPHP and its affiliates currently serve members in 29 counties throughout New York State and seven counties in Vermont. For more information about CDPHP visit their website site at www.cdphp.com.

From more than 300 applicants, Tech Valley High School has selected its charter faculty. Four teachers will help shape the curriculum and the culture of this new innovative high school set to open in September. The school, which will focus on math, science, and technology, is a joint venture of Questar III BOCES and Capital Region BOCES. Together, these BOCES, in cooperation with 48 school districts in seven counties, are creating a new school that will expand the range of opportunities available to more than 124,000 students. The school will be housed at the headquarters of MapInfo Corporation in the Rensselaer Technology Park in Troy through the 2008-2009 school year. In 2009 it will move to its own facility in Rensselaer County. For more information about Tech Valley High School visit their website at www.techvalleyhigh.org.

Community Events

Clermont State Historic Site will host the annual Chancellor's Sheep & Wool Showcase on Saturday, April 14 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. The rain date is April 15. The Showcase is one of Clermont's most popular events and draws about 2,000 visitors to see costumed reenactors, live animals, spinning, herding, and shearing demonstrations, enjoy great food and live music, shop at over 20 vendors of fine fiber products, and a silent auction. Bring the kids for an afternoon of family entertainment. For more information about Clermont State Historic Site call (518) 537- 4240 or visit their website at www.friendsofclermont.org

Back by popular demand, the Taconic Hills Performing Arts Center will feature the Air Force Band of Liberty. They will perform popular and concert music celebrating the cultural multiplicity of the nation. Songs from our country's diverse heritage unite in an unforgettable musical evening. No matter what your musical tastes, from the classics to pop, from Broadway to swing, this talented group of musicians will certainly delight and entertain the whole family. Admission is free for this event. Doors open at 6:00 pm and the performance begins at 7:00 pm. For more information about the Taconic Hills Performing Arts Center call (518) 325-0447 or visit their website at www.taconichills.k12.ny.us.

Hudson Valley Academy of Performing Arts will host a Discover Dance Day in honor of National Dance Week. The event will be held on Sunday, April 29 from 12:00 to 3:00 pm and is suitable for the entire family. For more information about Hudson Valley Academy of Performing Arts call (518) 851-5501 or visit their website at www.hvapa.com.

Check out the Chamber's Ten Things To Do This Month in Columbia County on the homepage at www.columbiachamber-ny.com. If you would like to add an event to the May list, please contact Cheryl Meenagh at cmeenagh@columbiachamber-ny.com.

If you would like to submit information for the member news section please email cmeenagh@columbiachamber-ny.com.

April and May Chamber Events

April Events
Legislative Breakfast - April 13
Come and meet your local Legislators

7:30 am - Registration
8:00 - 9:00 am - Program
Columbia-Greene Community College
4400 Route 23, Hudson
The cost is $15.
Contact the Chamber to reserve by April 6.

Women's Networking Luncheon - April 18
12:00 am- 1:30 pm
Jackson's Old Chatham House
Village Square, Old Chatham
The cost is $18 members/$24 non-members
Contact the Chamber to reserve by April 13.

Business After Hours - April 26
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Darrow School

110 Darrow Road, New Lebanon
Reservations are not required, but appreciated.

Please click here for our 2007 Chamber Calendar.

May Events
Introduction to Board Membership Seminar - May 1
9:00 am - noon
Hudson Opera House
327 Warren Street, Hudson
The cost is $40 per person or $60 for teams of two
This seminar is co-hosted by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
Contact the Foundation at 413-528-8039 for reservations.

Business After Hours - May 17
5:00 - 7:00 pm
The Salvation Army
40 South 3rd Street, Hudson
Reservations are not required, but appreciated.

18th Annual Golf Tournament - May 21
12:00 pm - Registration and Lunch
1:00 pm - Shotgun Start
Columbia Golf and Country Club
295 Route 217, Claverack
The cost is $140 for the early bird rate before May 7.
Contact the Chamber to reserve today as this is a sellout tournament.