What county saw the opening of a major attraction with international appeal and a world class resort hotel, construction kick off for a 320,000 square foot pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, while playing host to a PGA tour and the Offshore Grand Prix? These are the major, highly visible milestones and achievements of Chautauqua County from 2018. We should all take a moment to celebrate the opening of the National Comedy Center and the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, the progress being made on the Athenex facility, the hosting of the LECOM Health Challenge PGA Web.com Tour and the Offshore Grand Prix. Beyond these major achievements there are so many great stories across Chautauqua County that we don’t have enough print to list them all. Economically speaking our major economic sectors including tourism with $261 million in revenue, health care with $624 million in revenue, agriculture with $162 million in market value, and manufacturing with $5.1 billion in shipments, will contribute significantly to what has been amazing year for Chautauqua County.
The Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturers Association have experienced a year where we have added value to the investment of our members and have seen growth and progress. We are helping more of our members increase their sales through the Shoptauqua gift card, increase foot traffic with over 100 events across the county that help drive foot traffic and improve internet traffic by helping our members achieve search engine optimization. We have helped facilitate business to business connections through business after hour events and major annual events that draw businesses together. We have continued to help many of our members gain access health insurance that best fits their needs. We remain an advocate for the business community and host a series of engagements with our elected officials throughout the year. In addition to supporting organizations that foster economic and tourism development the Chamber and Manufacturers Association have focused resources on workforce development. This past year we continued our support of the Chautauqua County Education Coalition, which is doing a great work aligning resources and building capabilities in Chautauqua County’s learning system. We have seen the Dream It Do It program continue to make progress connecting thousands of school age children and educators with our manufacturing community. We are also proud to be working in partnership with Jamestown Community College in the launch of the Workforce Readiness Scholarship program. We look forward to 2019 as we expand on current programming and bring new value added opportunities to our membership.
There is so much more to come. It is estimated that over $266 million will be invested in economic development projects across Chautauqua County. To harness the potential of this investment and maintain the momentum that has been built it will be essential that organizations and individuals work together collaboratively to overcome the inevitable challenges that emerge. We look forward to our partnership with our members and organizations as we enter 2019 and as we remain focused on creating a business environment in the region where our members can thrive.
Make the National Comedy Center the Readers’ Choice
winner!
The National Comedy Center is one of ten finalists for the USA Today Readers’ Choice 10 Best New Attractions. The USA Today award is known for bringing significant national media attention to the winner, and that national media attention brings more tourists to Chautauqua County: a huge boon for our local economy. When visitors come to Chautauqua County to see the new National Comedy Center, they are also likely to visit other local attractions and spend money in local hotels, restaurants, and retailers.
Anyone can vote, so please vote and share the contest through your social media, emails, and word of mouth. You can vote at: www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-new-attraction-2018. Be sure to vote each day online on each device you have (for example, vote on your laptop and on your mobile device). Voting continues until noon, January 7, so bookmark the site to vote daily.
Chamber Seeks Volunteers
The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is seeking volunteers for its Public Policy and Marketing & Communications Committees.
The Public Policy Committee meets throughout the year to help the Chamber and MAST establish its Public Policy priorities, and members are encouraged to participate in advocacy on behalf of issues that may be meaningful to them or their businesses. In the recent past, committee members have attended County Legislature meetings to speak on behalf of the Chamber/MAST, traveled with staff to Albany for manufacturing advocacy day, and gathered data and information on the issues facing Chautauqua Lake from a variety of perspectives.
The Marketing and Communications Committee is being reactivated in 2019 and will work with staff to focus on the changing nature of communicating in the digital era, with an emphasis on creating a plan that further integrates social media and improved web use into meaningful information tools for Chamber members.
For more information or to volunteer for these committees, contact Sheila Webster, director of marketing, communications, and governmental affairs, in January at 484-1101.
In addition, the Mayville-Chautauqua Community Chamber is looking for volunteers to help with its annual Presidents Day Weekend Winter Festival, February 15-17 at Lakeside Park in Mayville. This annual event draws thousands of visitors to the region and requires volunteers to help with a variety of projects from as complex as building an ice castle to as simple as parking cars. For more information or to volunteer contact Coordinator Debby Marsala at 753-3113.