Our Government Affairs and Economic Development Council meets the fourth Thursday of every month.

Our goal is to advocate and promote for local / state / federal government policies and community decisions that are conducive to a strong regional business climate and support quality economic growth and prosperity. The Chamber engages Member businesses through the Government Affairs Council with roundtable discussions to evaluate particular impact of proposed government policies at all levels of government. Specific attention is placed on issues related to quality of life, cost of doing business, regional mobility, and economic development. The Council and Board of Directors develop appropriate support or opposition positions on policy with business perspective The Council also provides Members access to elected officials and leaders. Our Chamber leaders maintain continuous contact with elected officials to encourage a pro-business climate.  Special Government Affairs programs are hosted throughout the year on relevant topics as determined by the Council. The Council also produces the Candidate Scorecard for candidates running for office in districts relevant to our membership.

If you have topics you would like the Council to review, please consider attending the Government Affairs & Economic Development Council.

You can review our Public Policy positions by clicking here

Our Publicity and Events council meets the third Friday of every month.  This Council is responsible for increasing community awareness of the Chamber, as well as planning and facilitating events and other special activities to provide members with enjoyable networking opportunities. Events include: this Annual Meeting, the Summer Cookout/Clambake, Businessperson of the Year and Business of the Year.  If you are someone who enjoys planning or looking to help us shake things up, please consider joining this fun council.  All of our Council meetings are a great way to meet new people in different industries, networking doesn’t just happen at Business After Hours!

We welcome you to join this Council, share with us what is most affecting your business and engage.  Working together, we can all help each other.

Also falling under our membership council is our Catalyst group, our Young Professional association.  If you have employees under the age of 40 that you are looking to get engaged with the Chamber, please connect them with our Catalyst group. Catalyst brings together young, influential people to share their ideas and experiences, network with like-minded individuals, build their careers, and generate business for local merchants.  They put together their own events, offer professional development, networking, and community engagement opportunities and encourage Young Professionals to give back to their community through volunteering.

Our Membership Council is the only council that meets at the end of the day, rotating at various member businesses.  It meets the first Tuesday of the month, and if you are looking for where we are meeting, check the Week In Action email that comes on Mondays, all of the Council meeting information is included there every week for each Council.

The Council’s primary objectives are event involvement, recruitment of new members, and membership retention. The Membership Council contains our Ambassadors program.  Ambassadors are a strong representation of the Chamber within the community, serving as the goodwill arm of the Chamber, playing an essential role in member Communication, Appreciation, Retention, and level of Engagement.

You’ll find our Ambassadors at business after hours and ribbon cuttings, Council meetings and other special events, ready to introduce you to other members. They are also a wonderful asset to helping you understand and take advantage of Chamber benefits. Whether you are a new member or a veteran, we want you to feel welcome at Chamber activities. Our Chamber is only as strong as its membership. That’s why we work hard to keep members involved.

As new membership continues to grow, we could use new ambassadors! If you are interested in engaging in this way, please reach out to us and we can give you more information!

Our Small Business Council meets the last Tuesday of every month to discuss opportunities and concerns impacting the small businesses of the Greater Utica Area. This council represents businesses of varied industries, through discussions of the most important needs currently effecting their business, educational programming is developed to help all of our businesses thrive. Our Better Your Business topics are determined by the members who attend this council.  The council offerings are in person & virtually to meet our members needs. The Council also works on our popular panel discussion series, last year our members learned from each other through a panel where business owners offered ways that they adapted and thrived to continue to change and grow their businesses.  This year we will be discussing how Company Culture can help to keep your employees during a time where businesses are struggling with this issue.

To be added to a Council list so you can receive monthly notices, send an email to: info@greateruticachamber.org

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