Message from the President  Brian Loucks, GACCC President

2009 is the Year of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce! 

The beginning of this year marks and exciting time for our new County Chamber, and I am very proud to be the President for 2009 - 2010.  The Chamber has so many new beginnings, that the founding members and new staff are working very hard to get our goals accomplished!   We have new committees, new projects, and most importantly, for the first time since its inception, the Chamber has full time staff. 

A special thank you to Bill Hart, Harts Jewelers, for being the first Board President and getting the Chamber off to such a good start.  With about 40 volunteers, and lots of committes and decisions at hand, it is amazing to see it all coming together.  We have a new suite of offices at the Crossroads Conference Center thanks to the generousness of the County and especially John Foels, Allegany County Development and IDA Director, as well as his great staff, Patience and Kathleen. 

We also have a new Executive Director, Sherry Grugel.  Sherry first came to us as a volunteer on the Board about 8 months ago, first helping us through her previous position in public relations for a wind developer in the county, and now she is continuing to work with the Allegany Chamber as the first executive director.  She has a lot of experience in public relations, and marketing, especially with member organizations such as the chamber.   If you have a chance, give her a call and introduce yourself!  She is currently focusing on the membership drive and getting the office going, as well as meeting as many folks as possible. 

Going forward, we are very excited about all our plans for the Chamber in 2009!  However, we also know that it will take many many volunteers and financial backing to give this organization the legs it needs!  We look forward to working with the business community as a collective voice for business needs, as a member organization offering networking and professional development opportunities, and as a group of dedicated volunteers helping the county live up to their motto -