Chamber Annual Meeting Recap

We had a great Chamber Annual Meeting last month with many of our members attending, thank you to all who joined us for hopefully our last virtual version of our annual meeting! The highlight of this meeting every year is the announcement of the A. William Kany Jr. Leadership Award winner for lifetime positive impact in the Biddeford & Saco region. This year Doug Sanford was selected for his many contributions to the area. Beginning in 2004, Doug purchased multiple vacant mill buildings in downtown Biddeford, eventually redeveloping over 1 Million square feet of empty space into productive use. In the ceremony, he was cited for his entrepreneurial efforts pioneering the revitalization of multiple mill properties for expanded housing, commercial operations, and as a hub for incubating new businesses and community development. Here are some other highlights from the meeting: The membership voted to approve Don Pilon as a new Director on our Chamber Board of Directors Jon Kachmar of the Eastern Trail summarized the multiple trail expansion efforts that are either imminent or in the near-term pipeline Mathew Eddy from the City of Biddeford reviewed the many significant developments that are underway and/or approved that will continue to dramatically reshape the city in the coming years Rob Biggs, most recently with Saco Main Street, discussed ongoing progress on Main St. and pointed to a number of future possibilities for continued downtown enhancements and collaboration If you would like more information on any of the above, please let us know.

Welcome New Chamber of Commerce Members This Month

Please help us welcome the latest new members of the Chamber: Heart of the Home Kitchen Design: Bonnie Ferreira's new business venture, located on Portland Rd. in Arundel, leverages her experience in kitchen design and installation, with a particular focus on cabinetry and countertops. Laverriere Auto Detailing: Brad Laverriere offers full-service custom automotive detailing, applying his experience and expertise to any job regardless of complexity, with flexible locations for service as well. Back in Motion Physical Therapy: This clinic on Main St. in Saco offers outpatient physical therapy via hands-on individualized treatment plans

New 2022 Chamber Staff Update

We are thrilled to have two new teammates that recently started here at the Chamber: Amanda Lutz has joined the Chamber as our Marketing & Membership Manager. Born and raised in Biddeford, Amanda has many years of experience in community-focused roles in Banking and other industries in the region. She will lead our social media, newsletter and Ambassador Committee efforts and help with events and membership recruiting. Jon Petrow is interning at the Chamber this spring. He is a senior at the University of New England, majoring in Sustainability & Business. Originally from Monroe, New Jersey, Jon likes to spend time outdoors snowboarding and playing sports. Shown below is Jon with Myrtle.

Biddeford/Saco Restaurant Week March 13th-19th, 2022 We are thrilled to be joining forces once again with the Heart of Biddeford & Saco Main Street to promote Restaurant Week in Biddeford & Saco coming up soon in mid-March. It's been a tough couple of years for our local restaurants, so we're hoping to get everyone locally to eat-in or take-out that week to show their appreciation while enjoying the diverse dining scene we have in the area. Diners can win gift cards to local restaurants if they sign-up to win or post pictures of their menu items online, and we're also raising money for a great cause: Youth Full Maine, a non-profit that helps feed students and their families. Mark your calendars! For more information, please click CLICK HERE

Embracing Sustainability As note above, our Spring intern Jon Petrow is majoring in sustainability and business at the University of New England. He recently documented some great ideas about how local businesses can embrace sustainability to help environmentally and also with their bottom line. All Chamber members can benefit from embracing some or all of these simple yet powerful suggestions. To read Jon's thoughts on embracing sustainability at your business, please CLICK HERE

BCHC Indigenous People's Awareness Initiative Update The Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center recently won a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation for the purpose of erecting a statue in the Biddeford & Saco area to recognize and create more awareness for the accurate history of our region's interactions between indigenous peoples and early colonists. This effort is a focal point of the organization's Local Indigenous Peoples Awareness Initative. To read the press release details on the background and go-forward plans for this initiative, please CLICK HERE

Mary's Walk & Kerrymen 5K Sunday, March 20th The local fundraising tradition of Mary's Walk will be returning once again on March 20th for it's 24th year. in support of the Maine Cancer Foundation. Mary's Walk will take place in person, beginning and ending at Thornton Academy. The Walk will follow a route that includes a section of the Eastern Trail that is dedicated to the memory of Mary Kerry Libby and Mary’s Walk.  The Kerrymen 5K will be virtual again this year. Runners are encouraged to don their Mary's Walk and Kerrymen 5K running gear and take to the streets, trails, and beaches near their homes. For details, please CLICK HERE

Upcoming OOB Chamber Training Session: Refund Policies & Best Practices Our friends at the Old Orchard Beach Chamber have kindly extended an invitation for any of our members who are interested to join them for an upcoming virtual educational session they are hosting. On February 23rd at 9:00am, Ben Gilman from the law firm Drummond Woodsum will moderate a panel that will discuss retailer & tourism industry refund policies, best practices, and legal implications. If you have had challenging experiences in the past related to returns and/or refunds, this could be a helpful free session for you to attend. For more information and to register for this event, please CLICK HERE

Community Solar Training Session Recap Thank you Tony Paradiso of E3 for recently leading a Chamber educational session on the topic of "Community Solar". As Tony explained, this Maine-sponsored initiative is designed to increase the production of climate-friendly solar energy by having consumers and small businesses subscribe to community solar farm projects. It's a win-win as it helps the environment and also helps reduce your electricity costs in the process. For more information, please reference these follow-up resources: How Community Solar Works - this is a 4 minute overview of the program. Facts About Community Solar - this video is just over 3 minutes and talks about the government support for the program. Community Solar In Maine - this is the on-demand webinar. It's just under 21 minutes but contains everything someone would need to know to make a decision.

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