Dear CCSNJ Members,

As the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, all of us have changed the way we live our day-to-day lives. In many instances, our personal and professional lives have been uprooted. Our loyal members are some of those that have been most impacted over recent months, forced to close their doors or operate under new government mandates, while always putting the safety of their employees and customers first.
 
The Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey (CCSNJ) has adjusted our business model similarly due to the pandemic, moving to a 100 percent virtual platform while continuing to provide important member content, networking opportunities and advocacy efforts during this stressful time. Although South Jersey was fortunate to be far less impacted by COVID-19 than our northern brethren earlier this year, the decision to cancel all in-person CCSNJ events was not only the right one, but also one dictated by government regulation. In fact, since March 16, the CCSNJ has hosted more than 105 substantive virtual events that have not only been well attended with over 11,000 unique attendees, but highly praised by members and non-members across all industries and business sizes while helping expand our organization’s reach and member engagement levels.
 
Since the stay-at-home order was lifted some have been understandably anxious to return to normal. In every case the definition of “normal” varies, but the CCSNJ continues to take the virus extremely seriously as infection rates skyrocket in other parts of the country. This approach has been mirrored by many member companies that have kept work from home orders in place and are prohibiting employees from attending events as representatives of their respective companies.
 
Our CCSNJ team is anxious to return to some semblance of normalcy like so many others. Still, we strongly believe that the health and safety of our members remains paramount, as does the CCSNJ’s commitment to providing the type of high-quality in-person events that members have come to expect from our organization over its 148 year history. As a result, the CCSNJ will continue to temporarily refrain from holding in-person events during the summer months. This decision is one that is, and will continue to be, based on what is safest for our members while also understanding that the CCSNJ can continue to provide extraordinary member value, and be true to our six core values, in a virtual setting. 
 
While we all hoped to be in a different position 17 weeks after cancelling our first event, the CCSNJ also understands that prematurely returning to in-person events could put members at risk – and, that is simply not a gamble we are willing to take at this time.
 
As always, we will continue to put our members first while providing unparalleled value and exceptional service on virtual platforms for as long as it is both responsible and appropriate to do so. We look forward to re-evaluating our in-person event decision after Labor Day. 
 
Thank you for your understanding and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. 
 
Best Regards,




Christina M. Renna
President & CEO
Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey
220 Laurel Road, Suite 203
Voorhees, NJ 08043
P: 856.424.7776 ext. 127
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