The Amherst Chamber of Commerce - A Suburban Chamber with a Regional Vision

What does a regional vision mean to the members of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce?

As many of our long time members know, A Suburban Chamber with a Regional Vision is a tagline we coined about 10 years ago.  It came about when early discussions of regionalism were beginning.  Many thought regionalism meant takeovers or consolidation.  The leadership of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce contends that regionalism is working together with partners across the region that share our commitment to increasing the communities wealth and quality of life.  It doesn't matter who owns a project or where geographically the project is located - if a partnership benefits the region, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce is supportive.

A Suburban Chamber with a Regional Vision is much more than a tagline, however.  Our culture of collaboration benefits our members each and every day.  A great example is when Chris Lee got elected to his first term in Congress, he reached out to us and we assisted in the creation of his Small Business Council which meets regularly to communicate the challenges businesses in our region face in this tough economy.  Senator Schumer was our guest last spring and focused on Health Care Reform and, since, has become a regular contributor to our Health E Newsletter.  County Executive Collins is a regular participant in Chamber events and meetings and is always responsive to the various needs of our members.  Just last week, Assemblyman Robin Shimminger was the Honorary Host of our Business after Hours at Emedia Studios in Tonawanda. These relationships mean that when our members have an issue as it relates to public policy at any level of government, we have the ability to reach out to our representative and request action.

Our collaboration with other agencies reaches far beyond the political world.  The Buffalo Bills reached out to us and asked us to partner with them for the regional event Back to Football Friday - an annual event promoted by the NFL league wide.  We recently met with Dottie Gallagher, President of the Buffalo Convention and Visitors Bureau, to discuss the value of tourism to our region and to brainstorm ideas to increase visitor investment in WNY.  Did you know that tourism dollars subsidize county property taxes for an average $455 annually per household?  We also met recently with the leadership of the Seneca Nation to discuss private sector partnerships with them.  Partners who operate businesses on Seneca land realize all the same tax benefits as the Indians.  We will be providing more information to our members as we continue to nurture our relationship.  Our partnership with Lawley Benefits Group provides us with the expertise to provide health insurance and benefits to our larger member firms.  This collaboration results in our being able to benefit firms with 300 employees and more.  A huge event with Kathleen Sibelius, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services in Washington DC, is being coordinated with Lawley for November.

This is just a small sampling of the activities the staff and leadership of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce gets involved with on a regular basis.  We recognize that we are all interconnected and our growth and success is directly linked to that of all of the communities and agencies in the region.  The more we expand our Circle of Influence, the more our members benefit.  We are your Chamber of Commerce!