Most of us are not sad to see 2009 go. It has been a tough year for the business community and the Chamber. The Malden community has lost several of our traditional mainstays. Davidson Chevrolet closed its doors this fall. Healthy Malden had to cease operations at the end of the year. Reverend Randy Farrara, Pastor of the First Congregational Church, will give his last sermon January 31st. Many of our members had to make the tough decision to leave the Chamber. We were sorry to lose Representative Chris Fallon & former President Bill Rucci last year. We wish all of you a better 2010, and hope that you will come back and rejoin the Chamber.
While change is difficult, there are signs of a bright 2010 for the Chamber. Each of the past few months, we have gained new and interesting members. At our Annual Meeting on January 6th, we will welcome 5 new Board members. Please contact me if you would like to attend.
The Chamber has set up an aggressive agenda for 2010, offering a variety of events starting with a breakfast featuring Tim Cahill, State Treasurer and candidate for governor on January 12th. We plan to host a breakfast every other month, and a minimum of 10 Business After Hours events. Our new $45 pass will allow you to attend all of these as well as events we co-sponsor with other Chambers. We also have plans underway to publish a new Directory of Members. We will continue to offer onsite business counseling through S.C.O.R.E. and the Small Business Development Center. This has proven very useful to many start up businesses as well as several of our established members. We want this Chamber to offer something worthwhile to all of our members.
As always, I welcome your ideas and suggestions. Call or stop by our office in City Hall.
