The Harlem Valley Chamber President’s Message
January 2010
Happy New Year! Wow, a decade is now coming to an end. Hard to believe it. For the Harlem Valley Chamber this is going to be an exciting year. We have a lot planned and we're looking forward to working with all our members on promoting the Harlem Valley and eastern Dutchess County. We have so many wonderful farms, cultural venues, restaurants, recreational events, shopping and more to offer.
Once again this year we'll be working to promote events in conjunction with other local organizations. Our mission is to promote the business of doing business in the Harlem Valley. 2010 will see the 2nd Annual Harlem Valley Festival of the Dog in July, another "Dutchess County Farm Fresh Link," a collaboration between local farms and wineries and the MTA Metro-North Railroad. These one-day getaways are a great way for friends, families, and tourists to come and enjoy the fresh, nourishing goodness of our unique valley here in eastern Dutchess County. Thank you to Dutchess County Tourism who have worked closely with eastern Dutchess County farms and businesses to promote the region.
The chamber will be producing a "Harlem Valley Guide" this spring, as well as promoting "Business-to-Business" discount cards. Our networking meetings will continue with hopefully more visits to Harlem Valley Businesses. We have nice presentations planned for this spring including a February meeting with Cricket Valley Energy out of Dover Plains, and a March meeting that will help us all better understand the new healthcare program proposed by Congress.
We're continuing to work with the larger organizations in the County and throughout the State to make sure the Harlem Valley is included in broader initiatives. We're building a strong relationship with our elected officials and making sure that the Harlem Valley is represented from here all the way to Albany.
I'd like to congratulate our new chamber officers: Brad Rebillard (Dutchess Country Realty), vice president; Sarah O'Connell (Salisbury Bank & Trust), secretary; and Dave Miller (Welsh Sanitation), treasurer. We've expanded our Board of Directors this year to include representatives from additional towns. Congratulations to our board members: Vicki Benjamin (William Cole Agency), Millerton, NY; Adam Munderback (R. Adam Munderback Builders, Inc.), Millbrook/Stanfordville; Poppy Ganung (NY House Magazine), Dover Plains; Linda Gregory (Jack's Auto Service), Amenia/Wassaic; Peter Seyfarth (M&T Bank), Amenia; Lesley Rohan (Freshtown of Amenia & Dover), Amenia/Dover Plains. We hope next year to include a representative from the Town of Pine Plains.
Please keep us posted on events in your town. We’d be glad to add it to our calendar. As our chamber continues to grow, please feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas. This is a very exciting time for our chamber and I'm looking forward to working with all of you.
Warmest Regards,
Ken Hale, President