December 2021
Chamber Connection
Your connection to the greater Hanover business community.
Chamber News Pages 1-7 Workforce Spotlight Page 4 Ambassador Spotlight Page 4 Member Spotlights Page 7 Business Briefs Page 8 Main Street Hanover Page 9 Upcoming Events Pages 10-11
2021 Wrap-up from the Chamber This year has been an incredibly challenging year at the Chamber. Thank you for your membership as it is vital to accomplishing the many important services that we provide. As we begin a new year, we pause to reflect on our accomplishments in 2021. When the COVID-19 epidemic took hold, the Chamber stepped up to take care of our members. We immediately created a landing page on our website to disseminate information to the community. We started sharing information from the U.S. and PA Chambers of Commerce via weekly updates. We met with elected officials weekly, and hosted webinars and town hall meetings to keep our members connected and well informed. We advocated for local businesses and created a reopening guide to help businesses navigate York County’s green phase. The Chamber achieved 5 Star Accreditation status through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in March 2021. Only three percent of Chambers of Commerce from across the U.S. achieve 5 Star Status. Economic Development We continue to expand our role in economic development by working with Main Street Hanover and Hanover Borough to focus on downtown revitalization. There is considerable real estate and business development occurring in downtown. The Hanover Area Apprenticeship Program continues to grow as there are nine business partners and three school districts now supporting the program. The Chamber secured $99,000 in grant funds to off-set training costs. 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 continues to serve as an advocate for the Eisenhower Extension project, a two-mile limited access roadway proposed for development in Conewago Township, Adams County. The extension will relieve traffic congestion by reducing drive times and traffic counts in downtown Hanover and McSherrystown Borough. Leadership In March 2021, we graduated 11 local businessmen and women from our Leadership Hanover Program. We look forward to seeing them take on leadership roles within our community. Leadership Hanover kicked off its 2021-2022 class in October, and it is the largest Leadership class ever with 19 participants. Membership In the past year we transitioned approximately 50 members to the new tiered dues model. The new dues process is well received by members. If you have not moved to the tiered dues model yet, please contact Sarah Messer at smesser@hanoverchamber. com to schedule an appointment. Our staff and volunteers strive to 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. 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.
Gary Laird, Chamber President
40 York Street, Suite 2 Hanover, PA 17331 717.637.6130 www.hanoverchamber.com