President’s Message: New Year, New Chamber? Only if you tell us!
Chris Berleth, President, The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce
“It’s January 3…how am I already behind?”
There’s a better way to enter the new year than to be stressed out in your first full week back to work, I'm sure of it. I say this, but at the same time, I found myself asking the above question as we entered the New Year.
It’s so easy for the flip of the calendar and the cultural push of phrases like, “clean slate” and “new year, new you” to rile us up, isn’t it? We’re tempted to use the month of January to set a new tone - whether with our staff, our families, or ourselves - and we set out to drop all of the pesky bad habits that frustrate us in one fell swoop.
If you’re feeling this way, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is, the secret recipe to solving your anxieties is not found in this message. I am no wunderkind, no secret genius. The good news? There are a lot of really great Chamber members who can help, and we're pretty good at making connections.
If you want to fight anxiety and find great resources, here are three thoughts for you.
1.) Need Help? Just Ask!
The Chamber Membership Guide and Business Directory is filled with incredible connections and local resources. Have you grabbed a printed copy yet, or perused the digital edition?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need some mental health help, let’s get you connected to some legitimate mental health resources. Maybe your business needs a pick-me-up or a big-picture view. Consider the business consultants and the long-tenured training professionals in our footprint. Need legal help, or accounting? Want someone to go over HR benefits programs with you, or save you on your energy bill? Chances are very good – we know some folks who can help. Do you have employees who are struggling? Let’s get them connected to the nonprofits and assistance programs that will help them thrive.
2.) Use the Chamber Strategically
In 2025, resolve to use your Chamber member benefits even more strategically. Not sure where to start? Get a refresher on the Chamber at Membership Morning. Hoping to take advantage of some story-telling resources? Reach out to talk to us about advertising and article writing that could help you get your name out there. Looking to enhance your brand? Let’s make it so that whenever somebody says, “Great local business”, they think of you.
Join us for the events that bring us together, whether it’s next week’s Business After Hours, hosted by the Town of Bloomsburg, the newly announced Legislative Luncheon featuring a keynote and a consideration of the next Legislative Session from PA Chamber of Business & Industry President Luke Bernstein. Celebrate with your Chamber friends who were nominated for awards at our Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony. Find one of the staff or board, and even if it’s not your usual cup of tea, let us help you make the connections you want to make!
3.) We Need Help Too…Starting With Your Critical Feedback
Your Chamber Board of Directors and our amazing staff are committed to giving you a truly excellent membership experience and a high return on your investment. To do this, we need your help. We’ve created a 2024-2025 Member Satisfaction and Strategic Planning Survey that we need every member of the Chamber to complete. 
When you do, we'll take time to digest what you've said, and we'll refocus our energies on the things that will most meaningfully impact your business. Our mission is a vibrant and sustainable community - your feedback helps us to focus on how to make that happen!
If you’re getting this email, the request is for you. We need YOU to take 20 minutes to give us your best feedback, and no, we’re not worried about multiple representatives of the same member filling out the survey. If you represent a member of the Chamber, we want your thoughts.
To make this survey easier, we’ve made it available online and in a fillable pdf. We’ve also got a QR code that you can share as well! The survey will be open through February 28, 2025, and will be the basis for our next strategic plan.
Final Thought: Help Us Pick What's Best
Whether you subscribe to the “new year, new you” mentality or not and the sometimes drastic requirements of impossible New Year's resolutions, there is some good to be found in that flip of the calendar. One of the strengths of this season is that it challenges me to be more proactive and focused on planning, and pokes me with the friendly competition to perform better than last year.
At the Chamber, we know that we could focus on many good things this year. We could pour our efforts into new technologies and communications tools, new workforce and education programs, and enhanced benefits packages. We could create new events, apply for grants, or spend all of our time in collaborative partnerships. To focus on the very best initiatives and to do them excellently, help us determine what’s most important to you.
I'd be surprised to find out that you're thinking, "New Year, New Chamber", but I've been wrong before. If you want something different this year, whether it’s a slight realignment of our goals, or something as drastic as a "clean slate", we won't know unless you tell us. But know this - if you tell us, we'll do just exactly what you say!