Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce

Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
Founded	1956
Type	Advocacy group
Focus	Business advocacy
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts;
Coordinates	42°22′32.3″N 72°31′14.1″W / 42.375639°N 72.520583°W
Area served	Amherst, Hadley, Shutesbury, Leverett, Pelham, Sunderland, and Belchertown
Method	Business networking; Media attention; Programming; Political lobbying
Key people	Don Courtemanche, Executive Director
Website	Official Website of Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce

The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce is the local chamber of commerce for portions of Hampshire and Franklin counties within the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts.

Chamber model

The Amherst Area Chamber is supported by members' dues and fundraising activities. Membership is open to anyone. Membership dues are based upon a sliding scale based on the number of employees. The Chamber is a partner organization of the Greater Northampton Chamber and Greater Easthampton Chamber that forms the management of the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council.

The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce is divided into Councils, with each Council being an advocate for different interests of the members or responsible for the hosting of various chamber events throughout the year.

Member benefits

The chamber offers benefits to businesses once they become members. They include services in the areas of marketing, advertising, educational support, ribbon cutting ceremonies, referrals, networking, business advocacy, special discounts, and group buying power.^[1]

Issues

The Amherst Area Chamber supported the ban on disposable food and drink containers made from expanded polystyrene (commonly called Styrofoam) beginning on January 1, 2014, in the town of Amherst. The chamber hoped that prices for alternative containers would go down for local restaurants affected businesses as paper-based containers become more popular.^[2]

Events

The annual Taste of Amherst is one of the most popular events that the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce hosts. It draws over 20,000 people^[3] to eat at over 20 local restaurants that set up tents on the Amherst town common. There are also bounce houses, face painting for children, and a beer tent for adults. The Taste of Amherst has had a large effort in the past few years to "green up the event". All of the plates and silverware are made of compostable materials. There are three stations where patrons bring their trash to be sorted into recycling, compost, and waste.^[relevant?]

Members

AEIOU Occupational & Urgent Healthcare
Alan Hurwitz Associates
Amethyst Farm
Amherst College
Berkshire Gas
Elements Hot Tub Spa
Emily Dickinson Museum
Fine Interior Painting
Ford Gillen Architects
Hilltown Tree and Garden
Jean Lukens, LICSW
Law Office of Greta LaMountain Biagi
Lincoln Real Estate
Marney Electrical Services
Modern Memoirs Private Publishing
Moira Clingman Design
Northeast Solar
Off The Wall Games
Osteo Naturals
Stakeholders Capital
The Loose Goose Cafe
Thomas A Warger Consulting
Traditional Health First
Valley Nutritional Counseling
Valley Generators
Western Massachusetts Electric Company
WGBY-TV
Wheatberry Bakery & Cafe
Whirl Wind Farm Kennel

Legislative members

References

^ "Member Benefits". Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
^ Merzbach, Scott (November 23, 2012). "Amherst bans Styrofoam containers". Amherst Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
^ "Taste of Amherst gets underway Thursday". 12 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-24.

External links

[1] "Member Benefits". Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2013-06-24.

[2] Merzbach, Scott (November 23, 2012). "Amherst bans Styrofoam containers". Amherst Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2012-11-28.

[3] "Taste of Amherst gets underway Thursday". 12 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-24.

[1]

[2]

[3]