April 7, 2005
On the Map winners . . .
Congratulations to the winners of the first-ever CANYS On the Map! destination marketing grant awards! The Schoharie County Chamber won for its submission on the School of Country Wisdom, the Staten Island Chamber won for its cell phone walking tour targeting passengers on the Staten Island Ferry, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas won for its submission to create a heritage sites radio tour within Gateway Harbor Park. Additional details can be found in the press release HERE.
The selection committee had a difficult job, as each of the 15 chambers who submitted applications had excellent ideas for putting the spotlight on its own community. Special thanks to the judges: Kenneth Adams, Peter Aust, John D’Ambrosio, Marsha Gordon, Nancy Ploeger, and Lyn Taylor.
Additional thanks to Altria Corporate Services, Inc., whose major support of the grant allowed three winners to be selected.
It is the CANYS Board’s intent to pursue funding for another grant competition in 2006. Each of the winners will be requested to present on their projects at the CANYS January Legislative & Leadership Conference.
New York Day in Washington - deadline next Friday . . .
The hotel room block AND early-bird registration rate expire on Friday, April 15th!
Climb Capitol Hill with CANYS and plan to attend New York Day in Washington, May 11-12, 2005. Registration forms and the event agenda are available HERE.
The CANYS Board and New York Day Planning Committee aim to make this event valuable and reasonable. To that end, please take advantage of the discounted hotel room block at the Washington Terrace Hotel (see registration form), and competitive fares from discount airlines serving the metro-DC area. Explore your options at Independence Air (NYC, White Plains, Stewart, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo to Dulles International), Southwest (Islip, NYS, Albany and Buffalo to Baltimore-Washington International), and US Airways. A quick search found fares as low as $49 one-way from Albany to BWI, and $64 one-way from Syracuse or Rochester to Dulles. Plan now to bring your members and join us in New York Day in Washington!
Scholarship to ACCE Convention available . . .
The CANYS Board has decided to partner with ACCE in providing two scholarships to ACCE’s Convention, August 11-13 in St. Louis. These scholarships will cover registration fees to the conference – up to a $709 value to you or another of your staff!
ACCE Conventions provide education, information, and networking opportunities for all chamber professionals. More information on the conference can be found HERE.
Applications for the scholarships are now being accepted! Please complete and return the FORM to be placed into consideration. The application deadline is May 2, 2005.
Complying with CAN-SPAM e-mail rules . . .
In December 2004, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released final regulations to help your chamber determine which of your e-mail messages are subject to federal requirements under CAN-SPAM -- or, as it's formally called, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003. CAN-SPAM imposes tough rules on e-mail messages deemed "commercial" -- even if those messages are sent by a nonprofit organization. Although there is no blanket exemption for messages sent by nonprofits, certain member communications may fall outside the Act’s definition of “commercial” messages. If you need help determining whether or not your chamber complies with the new regulations, the American Society of Association Executives has linked to this article for your reference.
New DOL poster . . .
The federal Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004, signed by President
Bush on December 10, 2004, requires employers to provide employees with
notice of their rights, benefits and obligations under the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
The U.S. Department of Labor has devised a new poster to meet this obligation.
Click HERE
to obtain it.
Tell us about it . . .
Congratulations to Ann Meagher, who joined the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce as its President and Chief Executive Officer on March 15. Before accepting the position at the Chamber, Ann Meagher (pronounced MAR) was head of a leading financial services company’s External Affairs and Government Relations communications division. Prior to this, Meagher led the Public Affairs Department of the New York State Assembly Minority Conference for many years and served as Director of Communications for New York State Senator Stephen M. Saland. A graduate of Ithaca College, Ann and her husband Ran are looking forward to returning to the Hudson Valley with their one-year-old son, Jack.
Congratulations to the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber, as Site Selection Magazine has recognized Plattsburgh as one of the top five small communities in America for economic development success. It is the fifth year in a row that Plattsburgh has been ranked in the prestigious top five.
Best wishes to Jennifer Hill, Vice President for the Rensselaer Gateway Development Corporation, an affiliate of the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber. She is leaving the Chamber to accept a position with Silhouette Optical Ltd as the Director of Retail Research and Training.
The Rensselaer Gateway Development Corporation, a privately funded institution, is seeking a Vice President, Economic Development to oversee & administer economic development activities in Rensselaer County. Qualified candidates will be familiar with site location, writing business plans, securing financing, making group presentations and other business related activities. Mail cover letter, salary requirements and resume to: President, Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce, 255 River Street, Troy, NY 12180
Got a question you’d like to ask other CANYS members? Job opening in your chamber? Great idea you’d like to share? Send it to maggie.moree@bcnys.org.
