Spring is the season of growth and development, and we are doing just that at the Chamber. As many of you have experienced with the Chamber, we have enjoyed tremendous growth and utilization of our membership events. We have seen an uptick in our networking events and increased engagement by our EBLers,' and our annual meeting just last month had a record-setting turnout for that event. Due to that growth over the past few years, we have had to move many of our office's weekly events to various member businesses. Keller Williams has graciously hosted one of our Professional Networking groups at 5500 Main Street. Evans Bank has lent us their community space at their corporate office for our Emerging Business Leader Leadership classes. We have taken our West Herr Driven to Success Series on the road to various auditorium settings at ECC North and used banquet spaces at our member restaurants, such as Chef's downtown. Our offices are currently in the midst of a renovation project that will not only update and modernize our current layout but also allow us to bring back many of the events we host internally. We are nearly doubling the size of our current conference room, shifting our reception area, eliminating one of our smaller conference rooms, and making various cosmetic changes to our office. Most importantly, these changes will allow us to serve our members' needs better and more consistently. Our team is so excited to welcome you back, and while we are under construction, we will be working in a makeshift office just across the hall. If you need to arrange a meeting with one of our benefit managers, speak to someone about your membership, or just want to say hello, please feel free to set up an appointment by emailing us at info@amherst.org.

Keeping with the notion of growth and development, this Friday is our Emerging Business Leaders Symposium hosted at Daemen University and sponsored by National Grid. This half-day professional development is open to ALL Chamber members. It is an excellent way for you and your team to spend the day together refining their professional skills or even for an individual to join us while expanding their networking and building a better version of you. We are excited by the three-session program that Daemen University has put together. Each session will offer something a little different, such as "Building an Argument for Change," "Exploit Your Personality Traits in Leadership Roles," and "Improving Performance by Strengthening the Weakest Link." To learn more and register, please click HERE.

This month, we are very excited about our Business After Hours at the Northwest Amherst Community Center in partnership with Horizon Health, SUNY ECC, and Sweet Home Support Center. We will have live entertainment, mocktails, and, as always, plenty of networking. Please plan to join us on Tuesday, March 19, by registering here. Also, that week, on Thursday, March 21, we will host one of the more popular Lunch Mobs of the Year at The Irishmen from 12pm to 1:30pm (click here to register). It is the first day of the March Madness Round of 64, and ... READ MORE.

The NYS Department of Labor WNY Business Engagement Team is partnering with NYS Assemblymember Karen McMahon’s Office to host a FREE job fair.

For more information about the New York State Registered Apprenticeship program, visit: dol.ny.gov/apprenticeship/overview. 

And for more information about the gender wage gap, read our report on the Gender Pay Gap in the pandemic era. 

WGRZ: Poloncarz to businesses: Close for total solar eclipse on April 8

You can find more information on eclipse events here. 

Now that tax season is here, it’s the perfect time to highlight the various tax advantages associated with Health Savings Accounts (HSA). Employers that offer a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) may be able to combine it with an HSA as a way to not only make it easier for their employees to pay certain medical expenses, but also help them realize significant tax savings and save for the future.

HSAs have the following triple tax advantages that other savings and retirement programs just don’t have:

1.     Tax-free contributions

Some savings accounts, such as a Roth 401(k) or IRA, are taxed before someone puts funds in. When someone contributes money to their HSA, the funds are not taxed. This is similar to a traditional 401(k) or IRA. Because of the significant tax advantages of an HSA, the IRS has put a limit on how much someone can contribute to an HSA each year. For 2024, the maximum contribution limit is $4,150 for an individual and $8,300 for a family. Accountholders age 55 and older can contribute an additional $1,000 annually.

2.     Tax-free growth

Accountholders can grow the funds in their HSA through interest and, potentially, through investing. And, unlike other growth options, the increase in funds is not subject to taxes. There is also no expiration date on an HSA and no required minimum distribution like there is from a 401(k) or IRA. This means that accountholders can potentially spend years growing the funds in their HSA — all tax free.

3.     Tax-free distributions

Unlike traditional IRA and 401(k) programs, where money is taxed when it is taken out of the account, funds spent from an HSA are not taxed as long as they are spent on qualified medical expenses, such as doctors’ visits, dental and vision care, etc.

Independent Health is proud to partner with HealthEquity, the leading administrator of HSAs in the nation. Through this collaboration, we make it easier for employers and members to manage, use and maximize an HSA. Visit www.independenthealth.com/healthequity to learn more.