2017 community profile

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Containing Health Insurance Costs Through Pro-Active Solutions

Our members have voiced their need to have accessibility to a variety of health insurance products and assistance in managing their costs. Over the past several years we have re-invented the way that we deliver insurance products to our membership in an effort to offer choice and contain costs. We are positioned to serve businesses from the sole proprietor to the large self insured employer. We are constantly looking at and implementing innovative ways to lower costs and provide the most cost effective insurance possible for our members. We offer the private Bright Choices insurance exchange; a platform that offers insurance products and ancillary benefits through multiple carriers. For some businesses the New York State of Health is the best fit for their needs. We work with our members to access a wide variety of plan options and ancillary benefits available through the State exchange. For our medium and large size businesses we partner with Lawley Benefits Group. Through this partnership we are able to offer innovative cost saving solutions to our members as well as help our members address health insurance compliance requirements.

Advocating for Positive Change with a Focus on Reducing Taxes

Our members seek to be part of a unified voice that advocates for them with a focus on reducing taxes. We have an active public policy committee composed of a variety of business leaders. Our goal is to create a climate of growth and success for all businesses of Chautauqua County. Our efforts promote a pro-business agenda at all levels of government – local, county, state and federal. We promote this agenda in partnership with the business community. In addition,

Chamber State Legisaltive Breakfast

we have strategic partnerships with the Business Council of New York State, the Manufacturers Alliance of New York State, Unshackle Upstate, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Chamber Alliance of New York State that puts our members in a network that channels information to and from all levels of government. To help facilitate strong connections between our membership and our top elected officials in the region we host several legislative events during the year. Through these events we provide direct access to our Congressional Representative, State Senate and Assembly Representatives and our County Executive.

Supporting Economic, Workforce and Tourism Development

We play a strong support role for economic development efforts in the region. While our priority is to help support our members, we do support new economic development efforts that present opportunities to bring new businesses to the community and create a fertile environment for business expansion. Our members have identified workforce development as a number one priority. To that end we emphasize building relationships with our educational institutions and forming partnerships to train the workforce of the future. We have helped support the development and provided organizational support to the Chautauqua County Education Coalition, which is focused on aligning resources and helping build capabilities within the Chautauqua County learning system. We are also home to the Dream It Do It Western New York program whose mission is to increase the skilled workforce pipeline entering manufacturing careers. Tourism is growing and we are proud to work with our members and partners in the tourism industry to advance “Chautauqua County…the World’s Learning Center” as a national and international draw for visitors.

Chamber Golf Tournament, Peek’n Peak

www.chautauquachamber.org

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