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From the President – State of the Oyster Bay Chamber
Dear Members and Friends,
It was a pleasure seeing all of you last week at our final General Meeting for this year. Becoming involved in an organization is the only way to truly make a difference, and attendance at meetings and events is the best way to have your voice heard and become informed. We want to thank those who have attended and donated their time, talents and strengths to consistently pursue the mission of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce. There are plenty of opportunities available for you to become involved and assist in attaining our common goals for this wonderful community. I urge you to take the time to consider your vision for Oyster Bay and please share that with us by joining a committee.
At the meeting, we had the pleasure of listening to guest speaker Mr. John Hammond, Town Historian, discuss plans for the proposed TR Museum. To learn more about this subject, you can attend the Main Street Association Meeting on October 30 at 7pm at Doubleday Babcock Senior Center to hear speaker Mr. James Bruns, new TRA President, provide further information.
As 2007 begins to draw to a close, it is a good time to update you on the
"State of the Chamber"
What have we accomplished in 2007?
• Membership has grown to include businesses of all types, as well as non-profit groups and residential members. Our bylaws were amended to offer establishments in East Norwich and Bayville the benefits of Chamber membership.
• Operation Clean Sweep, a joint task force made up of the Chamber, the Oyster Bay Main Street Association and the Oyster Bay Civic Association, received a grant from New York State through the efforts of Senator Marcellino to provide brand new trash receptacles throughout the hamlet. A grant for a sidewalk sweeper is being pursued as well with the end result of a cleaner community.
• "Welcome to Historic Oyster Bay" signs, positioned in three key locations, were transformed into an attractive way to showcase the entrance to our hamlet.
• The 4th Annual Health and Fitness Fair, held in June in conjunction with Senator Marcellino, was very successful, offering visitors the opportunity to gain knowledge of health, fitness and nutrition from over 95 exhibitors, while also allowing Chamber members the opportunity to promote their businesses.
• Cruise Nights, a weekly car show, were held each Tuesday from May through October and this became the platform to introduce many visitors, both local and from outside of the area, to what we have to offer. Commerce and awareness of our town were increased as visitors strolled the streets, dined in our local restaurants, shopped in our stores and discovered why we choose this town to live and work in. (See the News 12 link on our web site)
• VisitOysterBay.com, the new interactive state-of-the-art chamber web site, was introduced in June. Members have the benefit of free scrolling banner ads for the remainder of 2007, and can also choose a paid advertising option for greater exposure.
• Oyster Fest activities were extended to Audrey Avenue in the form of a street fair atmosphere, allowing Chamber members the opportunity to promote their businesses to a crowd of over 200,000 visitors.
• Holidays in Oyster Bay, a joint venture between Chamber, Main Street Association and Civic, began the year with a plan to "Light Up the Holidays" by turning the town into a sparkling sight with giant snowflakes adorning poles from Hess through the hamlet. The planning progressed throughout the year with a Dinner and Wine Tasting Fundraiser held at Wild Honey in October, producing a generous stream of contributions from private, corporate and civic groups in support of this cause. Festivities such as free horse and carriage rides and a tree lighting ceremony are planned for the weekend of December 8 and 9.
I do hope you'll join us as we conclude a busy year with the Chamber Holiday Party on December 13 at Fiddleheads, a chance to share spirit and friendship as we reflect on the amazing accomplishments that an all new board of directors and officers have achieved this year. We look forward to celebrating with all of you!
Respectfully,
Alex Gallego
President, Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce
