PLEASE NOTE: The Chamber offices in Camden and Rockland will be closed December 26 through January 2 for a holiday week break. There will be no Friday Report published on December 30.

Scheduled for Friday, February 10, 2023 at the Samoset Resort, the evening will celebrate and recognize those who have made extraordinary contributions to our community this past year. Click here for more details and to purchase tickets:

Chamber members will have the unique opportunity to decorate a table at our 2023 Gala, allowing your business/organization to be seen by hundreds of Gala attendees. Signing up to decorate a table is FREE and only costs what members are willing to put into the decorations and main centerpiece which will be raffled off during the event. A limited number of tables are available, so reserve your table to decorate today! Click below to get started:

Who will be awarded the prestigious Community Person Of The Year award? Nominate a deserving person today! Plus, milestone anniversaries and a variety of other award categories to honor outstanding businesses, organizations, and individuals. Nomination deadline is next Friday, December 23. To view the award categories and to submit a nomination, click here:

Chamber members are invited to add a free listing on our third annual 'Keep The Cheer Here" webpage, where viewers can find details about your holiday shopping hours, your special events, links to your online shopping page, and more!

"Keep the Cheer Here" is a centralized hub for local retailers and event planners to share their holiday tidings, which the Chamber will promote via local media and social media, encouraging people to shop local and celebrate local during this holiday season.

Post your free listing and see all the great listings already posted here:

In addition to our weekly dining grid found in the left column of this newsletter, we have compiled a comprehensive list of member restaurants, cafes, food stands, and markets in our region that will be offering Christmas and New Year's Eve options, ranging from sit-down dining to a la carte, grab and go, and more.

You can still purchase 2022 Christmas By the Sea ornaments at our Camden office. At $10 each, it's the perfect gift for a colleague, a neighbor, or a stocking stuffer!

Proceeds will be donated to the Area Interfaith Outreach Energy Assistance Program.

Ornaments are also on sale at Camden Public Library, Wooden Alchemy, and at the Guini Ridge Farm Christmas Market. This year's ornament was created by Rob Jones of Wooden Alchemy.

Have you recently moved to the Rockland/ Camden area? Are you a Boomerang who decided to move back? Or maybe you're a community member looking to make new connections! We all call Maine home, so come out to meet others in your community!

Join us at Ada's Kitchen on Monday, Dec. 19 from 5 to 7 pm.

RSVP here: www.liveandworkinmaine.com/welcomehome

Each week, the Chamber features one of our members here in our Friday Report e-newsletter (distributed to 2,000 emails) and on our Facebook page (5,000 followers). Featured Member posts link directly to your Chamber business profile webpage and to your Facebook page.

Simply click below to complete the two easy steps. Featured Members will be chosen as submissions are received (limit of one featured listing per member, per calendar year). We invite you to take advantage of this great Chamber member benefit to promote your business.

Aaron Snow is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Camden. With nearly 20 years experience, Aaron has photographed weddings and events in 18 states and internationally. Now booking weddings and family sessions for 2023 and 2024. Visit aaronsnowphotography.com for details.

To learn more about becoming a Featured Member, click here.

Submit your news releases to Amy@CamdenRockland.com.

With a new year on the horizon, the Maine Department of Labor/Rockland Career Center is providing a link to the Maine DOL website, where the necessary Maine and US labor law posters can be printed: https://www.maine.gov/labor/posters/index.shtml

Most importantly, the Minimum Wage poster will be new for 2023, because the state’s minimum wage is increasing due to the annual cost of living adjustment that is written into state law. More...

After careful ongoing consideration and 1.5 years of passion and hard work, Knox County Homeless Coalition (KCHC), together with our collaborative partners at Hope for the Future, LLC, have made the very difficult decision to step away from renovating 6-7 Madelyn Lane into affordable housing units. We are grateful this experience has allowed us to educate the community, helping people understand the dire need for affordable housing. The primary factor in our decision however—which is out of our control—remains the increasing project costs. More...

Several new classes have been added to the January and February adult ed schedule this winter, adding to the ones which were already featured in the fall-winter catalog. Added classes include: a Free Registered Maine Guide Training Information Night on January 3 at 7 PM over Zoom (the full course begins January 24); Carving the Blue Winged Teal Hen Sleeper at CHRHS beginning January 5 at 6 PM; and Explore Pottery and Clay with Randy Fein, a 2-week intensive at CHRHS beginning January 10 at 5:30 PM. More...

On December 6th, Steel-Pro hosted a tour and welding competition for Waldo County Technical Center students. Steel-Pro employees and WCTC graduates, Dalton Rossignol and Austin Peavey, were tour guides and facilitated and judged the competition. The competition focused on stainless steel flux core welding. The students each had two test coupons that consisted of a piece of 2” pipe tack welded to a flat plate. The students were required to weld a single pass fillet weld around the pipe. Once complete, they submitted their best coupon and were judged on fillet weld size, uniformity, shape and adequate fusion. More...

Whether they plan to stay up to greet the new year or go to bed early, taxpayers can get ready for 2023 by reviewing these common end-of-year tasks. People can always visit IRS’ Get Ready webpage for info on filing their tax return. Here are a few things they should keep on their radar. More...

Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) is happy to announce that Jessica Portlock of Hampden, Maine is the winner of a raffle for a wood toy barn from Aldermere Farm, a preserve of MCHT in Rockport. Heidi Baker, General Manager of Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields Preserves, drew the winning ticket on Friday, December 8th, in time for the holidays.

During this year, MCHT collected raffle tickets at its annual events hosted at Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields: Calf Unveiling Day in May, Fall Celebration in October, and Beltie Holiday in December. More...

Ardiah is pleased to welcome Dana O’Donal, the newest member of the growing accounting, Tax and Administrative team in Rockport that supports Ardiah Teammates and Clients in Maine and other regions of the US. Dana comes from a strong operations background, spending 10 years with Athena Health but also has retail management experience. More...

Same great company, brand new names! To celebrate, we have a gift for you. Between now and Feb. 1, 2023, if a new client mentions you as a referral, we will send you a $150 Visa gift card upon the completion of your referral’s project. You can see our customized storage solutions for your whole home at tailoredcloset.com and premiergarage.com. Or contact Marci at 207-236-3319 or marci.lambert@tailoredcloset.com.

The holiday season is right around the corner! Do you have a holiday party coming up for your company or family? Give Sterling Elite a call to reserve your group’s holiday transportation. Let us be your designated driver. Call us at 207-785-3100 or check out our website at www.sterlingelite.net to see all of our transportation options.

Members are invited to email Amy@CamdenRockland.com with details of goods, programs, products, or services they would like to offer to their fellow members. Please limit your offer to headline + 75 words and include an end date not to exceed 1 month.

Our online calendar is your guide to live & virtual events in the Camden-Rockland Region. Click here to view.

Have an event to share? Members are invited to share events on the Chamber Calendar. Login to your Chamber Profile Page to get started.