49th Annual Meeting

On Thursday, June 20^th, 2013, members of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce as well as several distinguished guests gathered at the Grassy Hill Lodge in Derby for the Chamber’s 49^th Annual Meeting. The theme? Getting America back to work. This year’s presenter was Joe Carbone, the President and CEO of The Workplace Inc., a nationally recognized leader in creating innovative workforce development programs.

Carbone began his presentation by offering the audience astounding unemployment statistics as a result of the Great Recession. He explained that the labor participation rate has dropped to its lowest point in the last 30 years…11,000 jobs have been lost…in Connecticut, 45,000 people have lost their jobs leaving many of them discourage with the lack of long-term employment.

Carbone explained the “…thinning of the labor force made the road back to employment very different.” This is what makes it difficult for the long-term unemployed to find employment. In the two to three years that they’ve been unemployed, the work force has changed and, after consistently hearing ‘no’ from prospective employers, their self-confidence has understandably been shaken. The ultimate barrier they face is the length of their unemployment, which ultimately denies them the chance to be considered for employment.

Carbone presented his solution—“Platform to Employment: Putting Long-Term Unemployed Back to Work.” This program, featured on 60 Minutes and PBS News Hour, is designed to help in the restoration of the American Dream—equal opportunity for prosperity and success. Platform to Employment strives to give the unemployed a fighting chance. There are five weeks of intensive classes taught by a professional team of people able to help with the issues plaguing the unemployed. “If we did it right, we could give these folks a chance,” declares Carbone.

After the five weeks of classes, the students intern with a business for eight weeks on Carbone’s payroll, effectively eliminating any risk to the business.

Carbone says, “America cannot, and should not, offer everyone a job…” but Carbone looks to offer hope—the underlining secondary theme of the meeting. Platform to Employment is designed to help people compensate for their barriers so they can compete for work—leading back to the American Dream.

Platform to Employment is the embodiment of the American Way. The people who enter the program are severely misunderstood by the work force. They’re not lazy nor are they looking for handouts—“They’re people who feel like they’ve been abandoned…suffering from depravation of hope.” As Americans, Carbone explains, it is our responsibility to “help our brothers and sisters, to give them the necessary tools and services to stand on our own.”

Summer Intern, Noelle Monk

Photo by Fred Ortoli

Kokopelli School of Music and Arts

Today we’d like to tell you about the Kokopelli School of Music and Arts, a 2012 WIN Entrepreneurial Grant recipient and the host site for this week’s Women in Networking meeting.

Pulling up to the building, located at 30 Progress Drive in Seymour, we were greeted with open arms by owner, Jackie Yannes. Walking into the building and looking around, it was clear to me that Kokopelli is a place geared toward the expression of creativity. The walls were proudly decorated with the artwork of the kids taking classes. Just by looking around, you can tell that the business thrives on the creativity of the people who walk through the doors.

The space was occupied by a different music school, but was taken over by Jackie and director, Nicole Kristoff, who realized the true potential of the space and quickly took advantage of it. Nicole explained, “When Jackie and I first opened Kokopelli we had a vision to create a school for students at any age and skill level to attend. We wanted a place for people to go and feel comfortable to explore the world of music and the arts and unleash their creativity.”

Jackie and Nicole took us on a tour of the building and I was certainly impressed that such a seemingly small place could house so much room for different activities and classes. We were brought into the dance studio and passed through hallways decorated with the kid’s artwork. The dance room holds classes for children and adults—everything from ballet to tap to hip hop—and fitness classes—Zumba, adult ballet, piloxing, and even adult hula hooping.

We were next brought into the theater and music rooms where private voice lessons take place. Down the hall there are multiple rooms where kids have the opportunity to learn a number of different instruments—piano, violin drums, cello, saxophone, and many more.

We were shown the “Princess Room” where Kokopelli often hosts birthday parties—nail painting, makeup, and even visits from your favorite Princesses. Nicole explained they host a number of different parties from rock star themed to dance to super hero parties.

Finally, we were brought into the art room where the back walls displayed the incredible artwork of their students. Art classes for the kids and wine and easel nights for adults on Sundays.

We all sat down in the art room and learned about what makes Kokopelli so special.

During the year they offer fitness specials for students of all ages who wish to get into better shape and fun social events for the artist who has never picked up a paintbrush. They also design a schedule with their students in mind by offering classes during the day, evenings, and weekends. They are available for private parties such as birthday parties, corporate events, and mommy & me groups.  During the year their students put on performances that include music, singing, acting, and dance that showcase what they learn in their classes.

“Kokopelli School of Music and Art will be open one year this September. We have grown tremendously for our first year and we look forward to the future. We are currently developing more programs that will enrich our students and the well being of Kokopelli. Exciting classes coming for the fall include Kids Yoga, Mommy & Me Yoga, Boys Hip-Hop, Music and Arts Preschool Program, Kids Fitness Boot camp, Music Boot camp, and much more” says Nicole.

We encourage you to check out the Kokopelli School of Music and Arts. We can guarantee that, in this welcoming and enriching environment, you can find the perfect thing for you.

Head on over to their website to check out the different events they have coming up – including Kokopelli Idol and a Wine & Easel Night.

Watch our blog for an upcoming post with more information on the 2013 WIN Entrepreneurial Grant and the Annual Appletini Harvest coming up in September.

Summer Intern, Noelle Monk

Meet our Councils!

Here at the Chamber, we strive to open up opportunities for you to expand your business. We offer our members professional networking groups and industry councils to help you make connections to help your business grow. In our last post we wrote about our networking groups, so today we’ll cover the councils.

Our Healthcare Council is comprised of individuals and companies from the Healthcare Industry. This includes medical, insurance, and care services. They Healthcare Council is one of our committees looking to educate members, the business community, consumers, and government representatives on different ways to reduce employee absenteeism costs, increase worker productivity and reduce overall healthcare costs.

The Healthcare Council meets on the 3^rd Friday of each month at 8:15am. They also hose a variety of programs and seminars throughout the year covering health issues affecting you and your staff members.

 Our Technology Council was created to serve as the driving force behind the rapid technology growth in the Valley. Their goal is to increase all Chamber members’ technology knowledge while helping them understand how technology can help their business. The council gives Valley technology leaders a forum for collaboration and innovation and brings awareness to local technology resources. Through this, local tech resources can serve Valley businesses. They believe strengthening the technology presence in the Valley will positively affect businesses across different industries. By making local technology resources more easily available to businesses, they can help contribute economic growth in the Valley.

The Technology Council meets Thursday of each month. For more information contact Nancie Gray at (203) 925-4981. (Nominal membership fee)

The Hospitality Council is currently comprised of the Valley area Hotel Managers and Sales Directors. They meet as needed to discuss the issues and concerns facing their industry.

The Human Resource Forum holds a monthly meeting, hosted and sponsored by The Schegg Group, for area Human Resource managers and their Associates as well as other invited guests. Meetings feature speakers on current HR topics.

Young Emerging Professionals (YEPs) looks to help young professionals and entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s become better engaged in community life, expand professional and social opportunities and become ambassadors future leaders.

Their objective is to create and connect a diverse network of young professionals and to develop an atmosphere and environment that caters to the desires and interest of young professionals and entrepreneurs.

Young Emerging Professionals does have additional requirements that include company membership in the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce as well as nominal annual dues, which include entry into Young Professional Monthly Programs, this, however, excludes major events.

Feel free to contact us for more information on our councils! (203) 925-4981

Summer Intern, Noelle Monk

The Power of Connections

Today, we’d like to explain to you the Power of Connections—your business thrives on it and your future depends on it. We want to be able to help create opportunities for you to make connections and expand your business. We offer a wide variety of networking programs from professional networking groups and Business After Hours to Breakfast Club meetings and industry specific councils.

In order to facilitate opportunities for you to expand your business, we offer our members professional networking groups and industry councils to help you make connections and help your business grow.

Belonging to a Chamber Networking Group may significantly increase your sales efforts, since group members have the incentive to become salespersons for each other's products and services. Members within the group become a marketing force for each other. This mutually supportive environment is what makes a Chamber Networking Group so powerful.

Our professional networking groups include:

Seeds to Leads (S2L) Their mission is three-fold:

·      Growth and prosperity of each member’s business

·      Formation of partnerships among the memberships

o   Meant to enable and enhance each member’s business and social life

·      Education of the membership on current topics of mutual interest

o   Either from within or outside of the group

Seeds to Leads meets the 2^nd & 4^th Wednesday at 7:45am. For membership information, contact Dan White (203) 556-1198

Valley Business Network (BVN): Their group goals:

·      Build trusting personal and professional relationships ultimately leading to professional referrals and business success

·      Hold one another accountable for the services they offer and the professional handling of their cross referrals

o   So they can continue to grow and prosper

·      Guest speakers visit to educate on relevant to current events and issues

Valley Business Network meets the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month. For membership information, contact Alex Modica (203) 644-2052

Women in Networking (WIN): a women’s only networking group. Keep an eye out for a blog post in the near future!

Women in Networking meets the 2^nd & 4^th Tuesday at 8:45am. For membership information, contact Mala Vaish (203) 659-0300

Groups are limited to one representative from each industry (i.e. one realtor, one banker, one printer). Group members must be members of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. Openings are filled on a first come basis. Groups meet at the Greater Valley Chamber, 10 Progress Drive, 2nd Floor, Shelton, CT

Networking Group dues are $80 annually and are pro-rated quarterly for new members. For more information on these Leads Groups contact the Chamber today.

Meeting times and days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc.—Please double check our online Calendar of Events to confirm dates, times and locations.

Summer Intern, Noelle Monk

Why join now?

There is no better time than now to be a part of something bigger than you and there’s no doubt that your business will benefit from our pool of business resources. Let me lay out some facts for you:

·      Consumers are 63% more likely to buy goods and services from Chamber members

·      Consumers are 57% more likely to think positively of a business’s reputation after learning they’re Chamber members

·      Consumers who are told that a business is a chamber member are 51% more likely to be highly aware of that business

Your membership investment will help you share your message and build your network while keeping you in the know about current business events. You'll also be supporting the GVCC’s efforts to promote economic growth for the business community of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, and the surrounding area. The annual membership fee is based upon the number of employees at your business. Feel free to take a look at our membership application for more details!

In addition, as a member, you’ll receive the following benefits:

·      Exclusive members only referral service:

o   Average 1,500 phone referrals annually

o   Average 20,000 online referrals annually

o   Opportunity to post services, announcements on Chamber social media pages

·      One free listing in our online membership directory

·      Your company Facebook page added to Chamber “Facebook Favorites”

·      Networking opportunities include:

o   Four Professional Networking groups

o   Healthcare Council, Marketing Council, Human Resource Forum, and other industry-related councils

o   Young Emerging Professionals (for those in their 20s & 30s)

o   Business After Hours and Business Before Hours “Breakfast Clubs”

o   All Chamber meetings and events are open to ALL employees of member businesses

·      Preferred Prices

o   Members receive reduced rates on all programs and activities

·      FREE Certificates of Origin

o   Non-members, $50 each

·      Use of Conference Room

o   Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm and based upon availability

·      M2M Coupon Connection

o   Online Member-to-Member Discount Program

·      Free Notary Services

o   Only available to members

·      Insurance Plans

o   Possible discounts are available for both personal and business health and dental insurance through member insurance agents

·      Cost Effective Promotion

o   Of your business through online advertising as well as sponsorship opportunities

In addition to the above services, the Chamber is proud to serve as your business advocate on issues ranging from business financing and real estate matters to local permitting and government and public affairs.

If you have any other questions, or ideas on how we can help your business, please don’t hesitate to contact our staff at (203) 925-4981.

Summer Intern, Noelle Monk

"A Chamber of What?!"

“What, exactly, does a Chamber of Commerce do?” isn’t a new question to us at the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Simply put: a Chamber’s mission is to identify and serve the needs and interests of the local business community. Our volunteers, who serve on an array of active committees, drive this mission. These committees work with our professional staff to develop and execute plans for enhancing the general business atmosphere of our region. We act as a catalyst for business networking, an interest bureau, a research and promotion medium, a civic clearinghouse, and a legislative representative at local, state, and national levels of government. But above all this, the Chamber is the people—people like you who realize that through the Chamber, we can accomplish collectively what no one individual can do alone.

The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, established in 1964, represents the business community of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, and the surrounding area. Chamber members represent the cross-section of our area’s businesses. Chamber members are everyone from home-based sole proprietors to large corporations with multiple branches. No matter how large or small your business is, we value the contribution you make to our community.

And, while business has certainly changed since 1964, our desire to meet your needs has not. We invite you to come to our events, join the different Chamber committees, participate in local government, and obtain business assistance. There’s a lot for you to learn and discover about the Chamber and the countless opportunities available to enrich your business. Membership is available to any reputable business, firm, individual, association, corporation, or partnership having an interest in the objectives of the Chamber.

You can find us at our new location, 10 Progress Drive, 2^nd Floor, Shelton. We can be reached the 203-925-4981 from 8:00 am—4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

www.greatervalleychamber.com

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, and YouTube

--Summer Intern, Noelle Monk