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In this October Issue...
- Message from the CEO
- Message from the President
- Message from the Chair
- Upcoming Events
- Board of Directors Nominations
- Strategic Plan Focus: Ensuring Organizational Sustainability
- The Event - Celebrating Business Excellence
- Health Insurance Open Enrollment
- New Members
- Call for Entrepreneurs
- Independent Health's Ask the Expert
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Colleen discusses her transition from President and CEO to a consultant status with the Chamber, as well as the welcoming of A.J. Baynes who will be assuming the responsibility of President and CEO in January.
View Colleen's full message
here.
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Message from the President
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A.J. shares about his first four weeks as a member of the Chamber staff, and his current role of President. He discusses what he has been excited to have taken part in thus far, from ProNets, to Business After Hours, to investor meetings, to economic development changes in the Amherst area.
View A.J.'s full message
here.
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Earl discusses the Chamber's upcoming
The Event - Celebrating Business Excellence
taking place at Salvatore's Italian Gardens on October 23rd. He also shares about the continued movement forward in executing the Chamber's new Strategic Plan, and a significant ramping up of activities in the area of economic development.
Read Earl's complete message
here.
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Member Education Series -- Increase Your Sales and Improve Your Productivity
Looking to get more sales and save valuable time by eliminating manual or paper driven processes? Learn what needs to change, and how to change it from Andrea and Jeffrey Ryan of the Small Business Partners at October's Member Education Series session. Join us
Thursday, October 5th
from
8:15am - 9:30am
at the Homewood Suites located at 1138 Millersport Highway.
Click here to register.
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Ribbon Cutting -- My Salon Suite
Don't miss the ribbon cutting for the opening of My Salon Suite on
Monday, October 17th at 5 pm
. Enjoy tours, refreshments and more at this new location for beauty services, located at 5500 Main Street
in Williamsville
! For more information contact the Chamber at 632-6905.
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Business Before Hours
Join us for a morning of lively stress-free networking at Wild Birds Unlimited from
Tuesday October 18th from 7:30am - 9:00am
at 8584 Transit Rd. in East Amherst. Register
here
or call the Chamber at 632-6905.
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The Event - Celebrating Business Excellence
Our largest event of the year, The Event - Celebrating Business Excellence, recognizes the accomplishments of firms, organizations, and individuals from all corners of Western New York. Join us and 400 of the region's business professionals
Monday, October 23rd at 5:30pm
at Salvatore's Italian Gardens. Tickets may be reserved online
here
or by calling 632-6905.
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Toastmasters Open House
Become a more effective communicator and leader at the Amherst Chamber of Commerce's exclusive Toastmasters International chapter! Take part in a meeting and learn about the benefits of being a part of Toastmasters on
Friday, October 27th from 7:45am-9:00am
at Keller Williams Realty, located at 5500 Main Street in Williamsville. Contact the Chamber at 632-6905 for more information.
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Member Education Series -- Meet the President
Meet the Chamber's new President, A.J. Baynes
Thursday, November 2nd from 8:15am to 9:30am.
A.J. is looking forward to meeting members and hosting an informal breakfast where he will share a bit about himself and listen for feedback from members on what you are looking for from the Chamber to better your prosperity. Join us at the Homewood Suites at 1138 Millersport Highway. Call the Chamber at 632-6905 to register.
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Nominations Being Accepted for the Board of Directors
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Applications are currently being accepted from members in good standing who would like to be considered for a seat on the Amherst Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
The term of office will begin January 1, 2018 and end December 31, 2020. Meetings are held ten times per year and there are attendance requirements. Selection for a seat on the Board is determined by a combination of factors, including; prior support of the organization and industry representation.
The Nominating Committee works diligently to insure we have industry, geographic, racial and gender diversity.
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Strategic Plan - Ensuring Organizational Stability
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The Amherst Chamber of Commerce has worked diligently to finalize its new Strategic Plan. The final plan is a result of the input of many stakeholders and members.
Every month we highlight each one of our five key objectives outlined in the new Strategic Plan. Be sure to follow us on
facebook, and
twitter as we provide additional information and examples of how we are working to execute this plan.
Objective: Ensuring Organizational Sustainability
Targeted Member and Investor Growth
A
Membership Services Council has been created to develop a membership recruitment campaign. This council is designed to retain and grow membership. An Investor Relations Task Force will also be created to identify and target companies for three-year financial commitments to the Chamber. These plans, including goals and metrics, will be presented to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for approval on an annual basis.
Financial Stability
The Chamber's Financial Committee plays an instrumental role in developing objective and implementing strategies for the financial stability of the organization, both now and in the future. This includes, among other responsibilities: consistently reviewing the current finances of the Chamber, a review of the budget and revenue allocation processes, and recommendations regarding an internal methodology for developing, monitoring and reporting finances. This information provides the Board of Directors with the appropriate data upon which to base decisions on systemic changes to our organizational structure and provides the resources that support any such changes.
Succession Planning
A Succession Planning Task Force has been established to review and assess the Chamber's organizational structure, as well as, establishing a benchmark of the current state of job descriptions and organizational structure against industry standards. The objectives of the Succession Planning Task Force include: periodic updates to the Executive Committee and Board on upcoming staff vacancies, working with the Finance Committee to monitor resources available to fulfill the recommendations of the Task Force, and executing the Succession Plan, including a public relations plan for a smooth transition of all key positions, in a manner that will not cause disruption to the Chamber's Strategic Plan or organizational goals.
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The Event - Celebrating Business Excellence
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Health Insurance Open Enrollment is quickly approaching. Our three staff brokers are busy getting acquainted with the changes in plan designs and costs. We want to make sure our members select the appropriate plans for their medical needs at the right prices. Selecting a health insurance plan is confusing and we want to help you make the right choice.
Some of our subscribers can automatically re-enroll in the same plan they had last year and/or will be mapped to a similar plan. Many of you might like to review new plan designs or see if there are other plans that are more affordable or have richer benefits.
The success of your entire business is our goal and assisting with health insurance is just one of the many benefits we provide.
Call 632-6905 for more information or to make an appointment with one of our staff.
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John Leberman
Melony Hyzy
Victoria Mueller
Johnny Chebat
Christopher Simkin
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Mindy Shine
Jenn Lay
BYHMarketing
Kavon Chatman
JoAnn Vecchio
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Calling for Entrepreneurs -- Williamsville Business Teacher Needs Your Help!
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Miss Alexis Langheier, a Business Teacher in the Williamsville School District, is looking for local entrepreneurs who might be willing to be guest speakers in her Entrepreneurship class.
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Ask the Expert -- with Martin Burruano, R.Ph.,
Vice President of Pharmacy Services at Independent Health
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Q. How does Independent Health decide what medications to cover?
One of the ways Independent Health provides choice and value to our members is through the use of drug formularies, which are lists of medications covered by each member’s pharmacy benefit. These formularies are designed to provide high-quality,
cost-effective medication options for our members.
All of our formulary medications are reviewed by the Independent Health Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee, which is made up of doctors and pharmacists practicing in our community, as well as members of our staff. This committee meets on a quarterly basis and evaluates existing and new drugs for safety, effectiveness and cost. Utilization management strategies, such as prior authorization and quantity restrictions, are also reviewed. Using clinical data, literature and guidelines, the P&T Committee recommends updates to our drug formularies to ensure they are in-line with the medical community’s prescribing practices and meet the needs of our members.
There are thousands of drugs that are currently covered by Independent Health. In the rare instance a member needs a medication that is not on our formulary, a medical exception can be requested by the member’s doctor if that drug is medically necessary.
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University at Buffalo News
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UB Moves Up in Wall Street Journal/Time Higher Education College Rankings
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo is on the rise in another set of college rankings.
UB tied for 117th overall among 1,000 ranked U.S. colleges and universities — the highest rating of any State University of New York (SUNY) institution — according to the 2018 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings, unveiled Sept. 27.
Continue reading...
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Thank You to Our Investors
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Amherst Chamber of Commerce | (P) 716.632.6905 | (F) 716.632.0548 | www.amherst.org
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