October 2019
Chamber Connection
Your connection to the greater Hanover business community.
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A Letter from Our President, Gary Laird 2019 was a busy and fulfilling year at the Chamber, thanks to support from our members and the community. As we begin our new fiscal year, we’d like to highlight some of our accomplishments from this past year. We continue to expand our role in economic development by investing in Main Street Hanover (MSH), with a focus on organizational development and financial sustainability as MSH enters its seventh year. The Hanover Area Apprenticeship Program continues to grow as three new business partners were added in 2019 and three school districts are now supporting the program. Through the apprenticeship program, high school students will have the opportunity to begin as a pre-apprentice in their junior year, with the program structured around their high school curriculum and work within one of the participating companies. Upon graduation, students will have the opportunity to complete a two-year, paid apprenticeship within a participating company. In 2019, the Chamber secured approximately $140,000 in grants to purchase equipment and pay for tuition costs associated with the apprenticeship program. The chamber’s goal is to create a workforce pipeline for high demand occupations in any industry including manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and construction trades. The chamber continued to promote its tourism brand, Discover Hanover® throughout 2019. Using various social media platforms, our website, and advertisements at both a local and national level, our staff is working hard to put Hanover on the map as a place to visit, shop, dine, and play. Also part of our brand, our annual Discover Hanover® Magazine celebrated its 11th anniversary this year. We increased our printing to 25,000 copies, and promoted our digital edition online as well. Distribution will increase again in 2020, with an all time high of 40,000
copies and a full-year of circulation, thanks to a grant from Explore York. In April 2019, we graduated 13 local business men and women from our Leadership Hanover Program. We look forward to seeing them take on leadership roles within our community. Leadership Hanover will kick-off its 2020 class with 16 participants, our largest class to date. Over the past year we transitioned approximately 120 members to our new tiered dues model. This new dues process has been very well received by our members. If you have not yet moved to the tiered dues model, please contact Haley Briggs to schedule an appointment. As always, our staff and volunteers strive to continuously deliver value to our members by hosting networking and community events, offering affordable marketing and advertising opportunities, and advancing the interests of the Hanover business community. If you would like to learn more about the chamber's goals for the coming year, we invite you to join us at our Annual Meeting at 12 p.m. on October 17, at the Guthrie Memorial Library. This event is complimentary and open to all members, and a light lunch will be served. To register, visit our website. I thank you for your continued confidence in the work of your chamber; we truly value your support. If you ever have a question about how we can help support your business or organization, please contact us. We welcome the opportunity to serve the needs of our members and the community. Sincerely,
Gary M. Laird President
146 Carlisle Street Hanover, PA 17331 717.637.6130 www.hanoverchamber.com