Update from Chamber President, Gary Laird

It’s safe to say this thing isn’t anywhere near over yet, unfortunately. What we thought would last only a few short weeks has now turned into nearly two months, and it most likely will not end there.

Here at the Chamber, we are still working hard to ensure that our members are staying informed, being advocated for, and receiving the support they need to keep going. We are sending out twice-weekly COVID-19 updates, hosting webinars, collecting business information through our feedback form, and promoting our members on social media and in our newsletter.

Until now, all of our regular events have been cancelled, but we’re excited to announce that we will be restarting our monthly breakfasts and mixers this month—virtually, of course—and we’ve even got a new event for you that we’re so excited to roll out! Keep an eye on our eBlasts and social media for more details on all of that.

Our staff has had some hard discussions over the past few weeks as to what our summer will look like. With the world in its current state, we simply cannot come up with a way to hold our summer events as scheduled. Unfortunately for us, these summer events, which include the Annual Golf Outing, Snack Town Brewfest, and Hanover Dutch Festival, generate a huge portion of our operating funds. Without these events, initiatives like the Hanover Area Apprenticeship program, as well as our other economic development efforts, will suffer.

Cancelling simply is not an option for us right now, so we’ve made the very tough decision to postpone these events. We’ve come up with alternative dates for each event, and we hope you’ll be able to join us on September 19, 2020 for Snack Town Brewfest, September 24, 2020 for the Annual Golf Outing, and September 26, 2020 for Hanover Dutch Festival. There is no doubt that these events will look a little different this year, but we will do our best to make sure our attendees and sponsors have a satisfying experience, nonetheless.

Our organization has been in business for nearly 100 years, yet there is no doubt in our minds that the past few months have been the most challenging period of time in the history of our organization. Like most small businesses, we have been hit hard by this pandemic. Like you, we’ve had to come up with new ways to stay afloat in the uncharted waters of COVID-19.

Now more than ever, our role as your resource for information, your advocate in the political realm, and your connection to the business community is truly vital. We will always work our hardest to support our members, and now, we’re asking the same from you. We rely on your support year-round to execute our community initiatives. If we are to be all the things you rely on us to be, we cannot do it alone.

Please consider supporting our organization in whatever way you can during these next few months. Whatever that looks like—a share on social media, a referral to join, or a marketing investment—we will be grateful. And when things finally are back to normal, you can be sure that we will be there for you too, like we always have.

If you have any needs at all during this time, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our staff is just a quick email or phone call away.

Take care,
Gary Laird