President’s Message: Winter 2019

Welcome to the New Year!
It was a busy and productive end to 2018 with our biggest and best Fall Festival to date and four great opportunities for networking in November. Our holiday celebration capped the year with food, fun and fundraising, bringing us almost halfway to our goal for the chamber’s charity partner, Birthday Wishes. Thank you to all our generous members! We are very excited to keep the momentum going in the months ahead.

New Year, New Meeting Location! Be sure to check our website and Constant Contact emails through June as we will hold our regular monthly meetings at a few different venues.

On January 16th it will be at the Four Points Sheraton. Our first networking event of 2019 will be hosted by one of our newest members, Men on the Move, on January 23rd at their office in Woodbury.

Please Note: February’s meeting will be held one week earlier (2nd week vs. 3rd week) due to the school holiday schedule. Join us at the Holiday Inn Plainview on February 13th. The Women’s Group, now in its second successful year, will hold its next meeting on February 7th.

Community Involvement: Sometimes our community interaction happens behind the scenes. With our high school’s internship program in jeopardy, I wrote a letter on behalf of our members stating the proven value of a past program to local business owners. Our voice has been heard and there has been some progress in moving towards reinstatement. Stay tuned for updates!

Policies and Procedures: Guided by the able assistance of board member Andrea Goldman, the chamber’s bylaws are being carefully reviewed and revised accordingly. Some change is inevitable as we’ve almost doubled in size over the past four years. A designated committee is currently dissecting the existing material and any recommendations will be presented to the board for approval.

Our Strength Is You: Our members are the foundation of our thriving organization. Thank you for renewing (and joining) at a steady pace. Active and engaged members earn the most satisfaction from their membership. There are several committees that could benefit from your help.

If you have not yet renewed, please do so soon and take advantage of ALL the annual member benefits. Be our guest at the Membership Dinner on February 27th. This much anticipated event is our way of saying thank you for your loyalty and participation. Another great reward is this year’s free Interactive Workshop on March 7th on Branding Your Business. Space is limited for this valuable session, so be sure to sign up today. You can renew (or join) and register for either or both with just one click!

If you have ideas on how to make the chamber experience an even more meaningful one, by all means, please reach out to me. My “door” is always open.

Andrew Lamkin Esq.
POB Chamber President