December 8, 2005
January Legislative & Leadership Conference . . .
Get ready for a January Conference packed with ideas and information! View the conference agenda and brochure HERE. Make plans now to be in Albany January 17-18th with your fellow chamber teams from around the state. Here’s just a bit of what you can expect at this year’s conference:
- Greg David, Editor of Crain's New York Business ~ luncheon keynote
- Bob Vosburgh, President of 9G Enterprises ~ Organizational Excellence mega-session
- Cathi Hight, President of Hight Performance Group ~ Chamber 2015: A Look into Your Future; and Membership Retention: The Power of Valuing the People You Have
- The Business Council’s Legislators’ Reception
- 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes in the “CANYS Lounge”
- On the Map Winners’ Show-and-Tell Session
- SPECIAL BONUS working group session on health insurance with Insurance Superintendent Howard Mills
- Plus even more!
New this year! CANYS is thinking creatively with a venue change for Tuesday’s luncheon and mega-session .. the Albany Institute of History and Art (directly across the street from Business Council offices). PLUS: have you always wished you could bring your whole staff along for the intense idea-generation, skills development and networking .. but couldn’t fit it into the budget? Now you can “Bring One More for $44!” With any fully-paid staff member registration, a second (or third, or fourth) staff member from the same chamber can register for just $44.
Why wait? Register now by downloading the printable REGISTRATION FORM you can fax back with a credit card payment.
9Gs Organizational Excellence workshop coming in January . . .
Has your chamber completed the 9G Organizational Excellence survey yet? Each chamber executive should have received an e-mail message from 9Gs with instructions for completing your chamber assessment survey online—including your specific chamber code, for calculating the results.
Chamber executives: be sure to forward the survey link (and code!) to all chamber staff members.
Chamber staff: be sure to take the online survey by January 5th, and include your chamber code when asked. Remember, these results are completely anonymous, but they won't be included at all without your chamber code.
The survey questions probe internal and external chamber organizational dynamics: balance, communication clarity, empowerment, accountability, work atmosphere, recognition, etc. It’s designed to give chamber leaders a very complete view of how their chamber’s doing organizationally. Have a look at the dynamic presentation here: www.9gs.org/workshops/orgex.htm
Any chamber with five or more participants in the survey is entitled to a one-on-one debrief with Bob to go over individual chamber results at the January conference.
Got questions? Email maggie.moree@bcnys.org.
Guest article: Al Samuels, Rockland Business Association . . .
As I was preparing my Thanksgiving Column to my members, I was reminded that much of what I have to be thankful for, as an association executive, I owe to some of my colleagues in CANYS.
Four years ago, this month, I was privileged to be named President/CEO of the Rockland Business Association. I had no formal background for the job, I didn't major in "chambers" in college (is that even possible?) and I hadn't been to Institute. The organization had 463 members, an operating budget under $500,000 and not much in the way of direction, vision or programming.
Today, we're at 894 members, an operating budget for '06 of just under $1 million and more new programs than we can actually handle. A lot of folks helped, but four of them I met through CANYS, and I want to thank them publicly for helping me help my association and my community.
"Dr. John" D'Ambrosio, Marsha Gordon, Jim Berg and Len Cane (now retired) THANK YOU. You guys gave me guidance and support and your friendship. And, I am grateful. I just wanted you (and all our colleagues) to know it.
Tell us about it. . .
Congratulations to Kathy Konst, President & CEO of the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce, who won election to the Erie County legislature last month. From the Buffalo News article just after Election Day:
Of the nine newcomers, all but two replace lawmakers who decided not to seek re-election. The two exceptions are newly elected Democrats Cynthia E. Locklear and Kathy Konst.
. . . Konst, a business owner and former teacher, beat freshman Republican Denise E. Marshall in the 5th District of Lancaster, Alden and Marilla area. "There's an anti-incumbency mood," Konst said. "It also helped that I'm not an unknown entity in this area. People know who I am. They know my work record."
Despite the anti-status quo attitude among voters, Marshall and Wroblewski were the only incumbents who ran for re-election and lost.
Congratulations to David Hall, who took over as the new president & CEO of the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce in mid-November. Dave came from the Peabody Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts, and is a graduate of Syracuse University and Louisiana Tech (M.A.). After 30 years of service in the United States Air Force, he began his Chamber career by attending and graduating from the U.S. Chamber Institute program. A warm CANYS welcome to you, Dave!
Best wishes to Kurt Alverson of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas, who will be retiring as executive director on January 30, 2006. A search committee has been formed to find Kurt’s replacement, and resumes can be faxed to the attention of Alice Roth, President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas, (716) 692-1867. The Chamber is a 550-member organization located between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. More information regarding the position is available at www.buffalojobfinder.com.
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.
