My father was a butcher, his father was a butcher and some say that when I played basketball I was a butcher. But that’s a story for another day. My father worked hard all his life and valued every dollar he earned. Surprising to me, he was also a believer in Lotto—which he played all the time. I don’t think he ever won, but his faith in the game never wavered. My father knew the basic truth about Lotto—you gotta be in it to win it. He knew he’d never enjoy the benefits of winning if he didn’t invest in the game.
Like my father, you gotta be in it—the Chamber that is. If you join and participate, you’ll enjoy the benefits of membership and be a winner. What will you win? Glad you asked, let me count the ways:
1. Enhanced credibility and prestige within the business community and with potential customers. It’s a known fact that Chamber membership creates the perception that Chamber members employ good business practices and provide better services and goods than non-Chamber members. Chamber membership, by itself, can be a powerful marketing tool. (See the research study, “The Real Value of Joining a Local Chamber of Commerce.”)
2. The opportunity to network with other like-minded business owners to connect with people on a personal level, which leads to business opportunities. Look around our Chamber—you’ll see thriving relationships and business generation between and among our members. The volume of business that is transacted is impressive and is a testament to the vitality of our members and the Chamber. Our on-going networking events, programs and monthly meetings provide the setting for this business collaboration.
3. The Chamber works hard to promote our members—from Spotlight Presentations at our meetings; Featured Articles in the POB Herald; visibility on the Chamber website; Ribbon Cutting ceremonies. You’ll see our members regularly featured in all these media forms. As a member, you have your own custom page on the Chamber’s website which expands your internet presence and becomes part of your marketing arsenal.
4. We offer programming and events for Members Only. As a member you receive a free subscription to the Plainview-Old Bethpage Herald; Member to Member Discount Programs for services and goods; Advocacy by the Chamber; Paid Up Membership Dinner and a variety of networking events. These all come with membership in the Chamber. Our Holiday Party on December 3rd was an enjoyable evening of fun and friendship. It was a chance to include spouses, business colleagues and office employees. See our photo gallery for highlights of this great annual event.
This year we’re offering a brand new Chamber-Member only workshop on how to create and produce your own 30 second commercial. On January 8, 2016 we’re having a workshop lead by Richard Isaac of Sandler Training to teach the fine points of producing a commercial and how to use it for your business. The workshop will be followed by actual filming of your own commercial (you’re the star!) on January 28, 2016, under the direction of Robert Kothe of FactxBack Websites & Videos. The finished product will be made available to you at no charge (unless you want upgrades) to use on your website, social media, You Tube, etc. Additionally, professionally photographed “head shots” will be provided by Alex Wolff of the Portrait Shoppe Photo & Video at no charge.
This program is absolutely free—but you must be a member or have renewed your membership for 2016. Click here to RSVP for this exciting program–you can join and renew your membership at the same time.
On January 26, 2016 People’s Bank is hosting a multi-chamber networking event. This is free for members as well.
We’re also having our Annual Paid Up Membership Dinner on February 11, 2016—free for Paid Up Members. It will be held at Taste 99 at Carlyle on the Green at Bethpage State Park, featuring comic sensation Sherry Davey as our featured entertainment. At the Dinner, we’ll have for the first time a Business Directory of all our members which will be used to market our members. We hope to specifically market our members to new community residents who will be purchasing new homes at Country Pointe once that development begins. If you renew or join by February 1st, you will be included in the Business Directory. Don’t delay–join or renew your membership to be part of the Business Directory. CLICK HERE TO RSVP for the Dinner–you can renew your membership or join at the same time. Don’t miss out on this special event!
5. Our Chamber isn’t only about business—but about community. We want the general community to know that the Chamber and its members have a commitment to the Plainview-Old Bethpage community. We’re involved with the Memorial Day Parade, issues affecting our community like the use of South Oyster Bay Road as an access highway trucking route, Country Pointe at Plainview, producing the Fair which draws thousands of people so that the Chamber and its members are promoted. This year we’ve adopted the Morgan Center in an effort to bring attention and support for their important work in providing pre-school education to children who are suffering from cancer and can’t attend regular schools. Knowing that the Chamber and our members are invested in the community is good for business; people like to work with people who are known to them and committed.
As part of our community efforts, this coming year we hope to erect a 911 Memorial with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. We are embarking on a project to create a Memorial that will honor the memory of those who died on 911 as well as honor the freedoms of our country that are precious to us. The POB Library has graciously provided a place in their Memorial Garden to erect the monument. All we need are creative ideas and designs. Modern, creative & uplifting are the criteria we’re going to use in selecting a design. Have a creative bent? Artistic skill? Then we want you! Click here for more information about the Memorial and how to submit a design.
This is a just a small sampling of the benefits of membership. Our Chamber has nearly doubled in size in the past 4 years, demonstrating that we understand the benefits of membership.
CLICK HERE TO BE A WINNER ALL YEAR LONG–JOIN THE CHAMBER IN 2016!
As my father would say, You Gotta Be In It to Win It!