|
Dear Rivertowns Chamber Members and Community,
The reopening feels like it has been almost as swift as the initial shut down, doesn’t it? While many will see businesses full of people again, we know that it doesn’t mean we are out of the woods. In a lot of cases there is much debt, costs have gone up, and labor is scarce. Reopening has definitely been a shock to the system. If we were looking for change to come out of the past year then maybe our struggles are a sign of adjusting to the new and improved normal that we were hoping for and our struggles will help us find new ways to do business. I really believe that the chamber is an integral anchor of the community as we adapt and grow in the post-pandemic economy.
I want to take a quick minute to highlight the energy coming from the board – everyone is giving their very best effort to shape and grow the chamber. The membership committee has been especially active and many new ideas are being implemented from this group of members. They have a committed enthusiasm for figuring out how to help local businesses and how to rally support for the chamber. The committee wants to be able to share some unique words about why the chamber is important. Please take a quick minute to give us a testimonial in your own words – tell us why you joined the chamber or why you think the chamber is important to the community and recovery. Share this form with your customers and employees, too!
With all of that said, the chamber is hiring like everyone else right now! We’re feeling the support of the community and the county government, and so we’re looking to keep the momentum going with staff members who can help us support local businesses. In the newsletter below, there are job descriptions for a part-time TikTok Intern and a part-time Chamber Administrator. Please share widely, we are looking to hire for these positions as soon as possible (again, we know, like every other business).
Lastly, this Summer we are going to take a small breather from our normal monthly meetings. A fun zoom event might pop up, but our board will be working behind the scenes to plan for the Fall and take their own much needed Summer break. We’ll still keep you up to date with pressing news via email.
Hope to see you at our last zoom meeting before the break on June 30th, featuring Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Niki Armacost (and cross your fingers for a return to in-person meetings in the Fall!).
Cheers,
Michelle
Rivertowns Chamber of Commerce President
|
|
|
MEET THE CHAMBER BOARD
Each month we will highlight one of our Chamber Board members so you can get to know them!
|
|
|
|
Janet Kovacs, Irvington Village Rep - Community Affairs
Janet Kovacs is the Branch Manager of the Irvington Brokerage Office of Houlihan Lawrence. As a lifelong resident of Irvington, serving the local Rivertowns communities comes naturally to Janet.
She has an extensive knowledge of the area's geography, history, and benefits that each village offers. As a real estate professional and Branch Manager with Houlihan Lawrence, she prides herself and Houlihan Lawrence offices on providing unparalleled service for their clients.
We're so fortunate to have Janet representing the chamber in Irvington where she acts as liaison between the chamber and community organizations, such as village recreation employees, village education foundations, schools, and houses of worship, and other community groups.
|
|
|
CHAMBER ACTIVITIES
Here's a snapshot of what we're working on right now.
|
|
|
All of the chamber's village reps continue to stay in touch with their village's local governments, businesses, and community organizations.
If you are a chamber member with business concerns, your chamber village reps can help advocate for you with local government or community groups. Reach out to info@rivertownschamber.com and we'll forward to the appropriate chamber village rep.
As they hear of any important initiatives or events from those groups they will also communicate back to our members.
As a reminder, the chamber village reps are:
Ardsley
Heather Rhyu, Government Affairs/Economic Development Rep
Club Pilates
Connie Gallo, Community Rep
Howard Hanna Rand Realty
Dobbs Ferry
Kristin James, Government Affairs/Economic Development Rep
Then Leap Creative Strategies
Padriac Steinschneider, Community Rep
Gotham Design and Community Development Ltd.
Hastings-on-Hudson
Joanna Prisco, Government Affairs/Economic Development Rep
Good Witch Coffee Bar
Ellen Sledge, Community Rep
Penny Lick Ice Cream
Irvington
Stacy Ciaravella, Government Affairs/Economic Development Rep
Conscious Living Media, Inc.
Janet Kovacs, Community Rep
Houlihan Lawrence
|
|
|
Women in Business committee held their most recent Women's Social networking event on June 8th, moderated by chair Elissa Hecker and featuring a cooking demo by Kate Sonders Solomon. Thanks to our event sponsors, Darci DeMatteo - One Hope Wine; Edward Clough, Esq.; GO Education Services; and Insurance-On-Hudson! A percentage of the wine sold by One Hope for this event benefits SPRING Community Partners and Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry!
Minority-Owned Businesses committee reviewed applications and then awarded two local minority-owned businesses financial consultation sessions with TAP this week. The award recipients are Fabienne Beard-Wright of Lift Off Special Programming and Leslie Allicks of The Tea Experience. Congratulations to both recipients!
Membership committee is working on:
- Chamber’s TikTok account, showcasing current business members – we're still seeking a TikTok intern! Reach out if you know of anyone (job description below).
- Flyers and QR code card handouts to encourage new member sign ups and growing our email list, with incentives and raffles. Coming in the next few weeks!
Tourism committee has created their strategic plan for summer and fall of 2021, working towards their goal of researching and implementing best practices for promoting events and Chamber businesses to the local, regional and national community with the end goal of making the Rivertowns a Tourist Destination.
|
|
|
|
The chamber is hiring for the following part-time contract roles. To be considered for these roles, please submit resume and cover letter indicating what makes you interested in the role.
Chamber Administrator $20/hour, 5-10 hrs/week
- Manage invoicing, dues collection, and website listing updates for current members (December, January)
- Manage onboarding of new members (ongoing)
- Manage membership database (ongoing)
- Coordinate working membership commitments (Current members: January; new members: ongoing)
- Coordinate with Webmaster on all member website needs (ongoing)
- Manage invoicing for member promotion and sponsorship opportunities (ongoing)
- Assist the Executive Director and Marketing and Membership Director on return to member benefits in 2022 (November-February)
- Must be able to use/learn CRM, Quickbooks, Canva, Mailchimp
TikTok Intern $15/hour, ~5 hrs/week
You will be in charge of our TikTok content creation. Working alongside the Membership Committee Chair, you will be responsible for:
- coordinating TikTok challenge concepts with business owners
- scheduling and filming content for challenges
- editing and posting challenges to TikTok
- sharing video clips with Chamber Social Media Coordinator for re-posting to Instagram
You are the right fit for this role if:
- You are very familiar with the TikTok platform, old/ new challenges, and can create clean and engaging content with ease
- You're familiar with the local businesses and townships of Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, and Ardsley
- You have the means to travel between all 4 villages (necessary to film content)
- You're a master at time management, meeting deadlines, and are a responsive communicator (email and phone)
- You enjoy meeting new people, building friendly rapport, and have a strong head for team work
**Please include a link to your personal TikTok account with your cover letter. We would love to see what your style of content creation is.
|
|
|
June Meeting: Our next Monthly Chamber meeting is Wednesday, June 30th, with Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Niki Armacost as our guest speaker. Register now here.
|
|
|
|
Chamber Virtual Pride Celebration Recap
On Friday June 11, the chamber hosted a virtual Pride Celebration. Drag Queen Story Hour was presented by the Dobbs Ferry Public Library and featured local drag queens Shay D’Pines and Angel Electra, who read a selection of books to families and kids of all ages, promoting themes of love and self-acceptance. Fabienne Beard-Wright then guided families through a spirited and high-energy dance class full of positivity, love, and spectacular moves! Thanks again to our sponsors Allan Block Insurance, Tribeca Pediatrics, and My Sherry &more.
|
|
|
The Rivertowns Chamber is a member of the Rivertowns Rotary we support their charitable work by sharing their updates.
200 Club Raffle
Tickets are $25, and only 200 will be sold. There are 50 drawings, with 50 chances to win. Each ticket can win more than once! 48 chances to win $25, 1 chance to win $200, and 1 chance to win $1,000! Proceeds benefit the Rotary Club's community-based projects. For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact Tom Minozzi at 914-478-1188 or TMinozzi@aol.com.
Community Service Award
The Rivertowns Rotary is launching a monthly community service award. Anyone living or working in the Rivertowns (Ardsley, Dobbs, Hastings and Irvington) can be eligible. Feel free to nominate someone worthy! Fill out this form to nominate someone!
|
|
Chamber Member Facebook Forum
Did you know that we have a Facebook Chamber Members Forum where you can share updates, promotions, and news and interact with other members? Make sure you're on there!
|
|
|
|
RECENTLY LAUNCHED
RESOURCES PAGE: we've consolidated all the grants, loans, workshops, Covid-related resources that we often share onto one helpful resources page on our website. Visit the Resources page here.
EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: in addition to our monthly Chamber news and meeting recap emails, we've now launched new monthly County News and Village News emails, consolidating news relevant to our members and friends in a more focused way. You can continue to send your news to Elizabeth at info@rivertownschamber.com.
|
|
|
COMING SOON
COMMUNITY CALENDAR: we'll be launching a community calendar on our Rivertowns Chamber website where you can self-post your relevant events and happenings.
MEMBER PROMOTIONS: stay tuned for ways you can promote your business offerings to the chamber mailing list! For now, tag the chamber in your social media posts and we'll re-share them, or post them on our Facebook Chamber Members Forum.
|
|
STAY IN TOUCH!
Share your community news and business updates with the Chamber!
Have a suggestion for a local business who might be interested in becoming a member?
We want to hear about it!
Email Elizabeth Knell, Executive Director, at info@rivertownschamber.com
|
|
|
|
|
