HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is the start of a new year. Some people say there are no "do overs" in life but I disagree. I believe at the start of every New Year or actually every new day you have a chance to start over. There were many accomplishments in 2007 that should make us proud; however there are still many areas that need attention. On January 4th and 5th the Board of Directors will hold their annual retreat.

During the retreat we determine what our initiatives will be for the coming year. I know we have a lot of issues facing our community and it is up to us to determine where the Chamber can be most beneficial. The following items are just a few inititatives that come to mind:We want to investigate how we can help small businesses. I think we need to see what can be done to attract entrepreneurs and how we can help businesses that are new to our area.

• There will be a lot of information to sort through on the referendum for slots in Allegany County.
• The County is engaged in developing a Comprehensive Plan for the entire county and we want to make sure that we support that process and provide any assistance that could be helpful.
• The 2008 Legislative Session promises to be very active and we want to make sure that we keep our membership informed and engaged.
• Seek additional member benefits such as networking opportunities or educational speakers and seminars.
• Pursue new "fun" raising activities along with a review of our in house operational procedures.

This list continues, but the bottom line is that we never stop trying to improve what we do for YOU.

Looking back at the end of 2007, I want to thank everyone that supported us throughout the year. We ended the year with not one but two fabulous celebrations. Normally you do not associate limousines, champagne and diamonds with a "Chamber After Hours" but that is exactly what we had at Allegany Radio Corporation's "After Hours" along with a tour of their new building on Industrial Boulevard. As our numbers for this event approached 200 reservations we needed help with satellite parking. I want to thank Dr. Sharma and Global Marketing for giving us a price break on a new stretch limousine to shuttle people from the Ames parking lot.

We ended the year with our Annual Holiday Member Reception to thank all of our Chamber members for a great year. M&T Bank was extremely gracious to let us use their bank to host the party this year and Brian Mo volunteered his services as our party DJ. With over 200 members in attendance, we definitely ended the year in style.

Nothing that we do throughout the year would be possible without the hard work and dedication of Peg McKenzie and Amy Jacobs. In addition I also want to thank Kim Shirer in tourism and our new addition to tourism Ansel Shircliffe.

                                            Happy Holidays,

                                            Barb