A Strong Foundation

As I look back on this year’s Annual Awards Banquet, one thought keeps coming back to me: local businesses really are the foundation of our communities.

It was a wonderful evening of celebrating the businesses, organizations and people who make Chautauqua County such a special place to live, work and do business. And while the evening was about recognizing individual accomplishments, it also reminded me of something much bigger—the incredible role local businesses play in building our communities.

That idea actually goes back about four years, when the Chamber began a strategic planning process to chart our path forward. During one of our planning retreats, our board and staff were discussing the role we wanted the Chamber to play when one of our board members made a simple yet profound observation:

“You know, local businesses really are the foundation of our communities.”

That statement stuck with us. It became part of the inspiration behind one of the major priorities in our strategic plan: to lead the way in boosterism, serve as the spokespeople for business, and, importantly, champion our local businesses across Chautauqua County.

Looking around the room at this year’s banquet, it was easy to see why that commitment matters. This year, we celebrated more than 30 businesses and organizations reaching milestone anniversaries—from five years to an incredible 200 years. Two hundred years! Generations of people have built these businesses, served their customers, employed their neighbors and invested in the communities around them. We also recognized seven businesses and organizations that have each become cornerstones of our community in their own way.

We celebrated a new makerspace that transformed a vacant retail building into a place where people can access knowledge, equipment and local vendor space. We recognized a coffee shop that quickly created a sense of community and continues to find creative ways to grow while giving back.

We honored an energy efficiency company that is helping improve local homes while brightening people’s days, and a local foundation that continues to invest in our community and expand its impact.

We celebrated a longtime producer making significant investments in its local facility so it can continue bringing products made right here in Chautauqua County to customers around the world. We recognized a dental practice providing an essential healthcare service while growing its business, investing in the community and helping build the pipeline for the next generation of dental professionals.

And we honored a communications company that has been a cornerstone of our community for well over a century and continues to invest, innovate and adapt to meet the needs of today’s consumers.

These are more than business stories. They are community stories.

We don’t always see these businesses in the news. Their work isn’t always something that makes headlines. But day after day, they are there—opening their doors, employing our neighbors, providing products and services, supporting local organizations, sponsoring events, investing in their communities and helping create the places we are proud to call home. They don’t simply provide things to our community, they are the community.

It’s easy to overlook that when local businesses are such a familiar part of our everyday lives. But imagine Chautauqua County without the people who took a chance and started a business, the employees who show up every day, the organizations that invest in our communities or the businesses that have remained here for generations.

It’s hard to imagine, that’s because they have helped build a remarkably strong foundation.

As a Chamber, we have the privilege of telling these stories, celebrating these accomplishments and advocating for the businesses that make our communities stronger. But building that foundation isn’t something the Chamber—or businesses—can do alone. We all have a role to play. Every time we shop local, recommend a local business, attend a community event, make a connection or simply show up for one another, we add another brick to the foundation.

That was the message I took away from this year’s banquet. Yes, we were there to celebrate award winners and milestone businesses. But more importantly, we were celebrating the people behind them—the people who have chosen to build here, invest here, employ here and make Chautauqua County home. And that is worth celebrating.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the banquet, to everyone who helped make the evening possible, and, most of all, to the businesses and organizations we had the honor of recognizing. Together, brick by brick, we continue to build a stronger Chautauqua County.

Business After Hours at Raven & Thorn

Our next Business After Hours will take place Wednesday, October 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Raven & Thorn, located at 26 Water Street in Fredonia. Guests will enjoy complimentary appetizers and a cash bar while connecting with fellow Chamber members and members of the local business community. As a benefit of Chamber membership, members may bring up to two guests free of charge. Additional members and non-members are welcome to attend for $10 per person.

This Business After Hours will coincide with National Support Your Local Chamber Day, making it a great opportunity to connect, celebrate the role of the Chamber in our local business community, and learn more about the work happening throughout Chautauqua County. Be sure to follow the CHQ Chamber website and social media as we celebrate all things Chamber!

This Business After Hours is sponsored by Raven & Thorn, LaBella Associates, Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, and State University of New York at Fredonia.

Registration is open through the CHQ Chamber’s online calendar.