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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
MELISSA HERNANDEZ
PRESIDENT
Northern Kane County Chamberof Commerce NKCC, Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce, is a regional chamber serving the communities of Carpentersville, East Dundee, Gilberts, Sleepy Hollow, and West Dundee. Having worked for the chamber for the past 15 years, I have witnessed the business landscape change significantly. Online shopping, social media engagement, other web-based interactions, and most recently the pandemic, have deprived us of the personal relationships and dedicated attention that used to accompany our business transactions. In the midst of these changes, chambers have struggled to find relevance: competing with busy schedules and a myriad of other networking opportunities and choices. Some question whether chambers are relevant or necessary today. Here is my answer. Chambers offer the business community a place to come together and share ideas, make new connections, and expand their contact base. Networking opportunities are offered in a multitude of formats and at a variety of times to suit varying schedules. In addition, chambers offer educational seminars and professional development on relevant topics such as marketing, finance, social media, and tools to help the small business owner with limited resources succeed.
In addition to educational and networking opportunities, chambers offer access and advocacy with local government. The NKCC works closely with Carpentersville, East Dundee, Gilberts, Sleepy Hollow, and West Dundee through community events and other local initiatives to promote shopping local businesses. 2020 Challenged the chamber, our businesses, communities, and ourselves. When the pandemic hit, the chamber quickly went into action providing resources, information, and support for those impacted. We did our best to still bring people together and allow them to network, while emphasizing safety. We connected with State and local officials to bring quick information to our businesses regarding support, opportunities, funding relief, and current guidelines businesses were encouraged to follow. The board worked hard to come up with ways to promote local while following the guidelines and keeping our community safe. As we come to the other side of the pandemic, I passionately believe, strong businesses make strong communities. We will continue to work with area service organizations and clubs to clean up our community and keep it a great place to live. The NKCC participates in local food drives, Rotary clubs, and the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township to name a few. We genuinely believe that when we all work together, we all win by making the Northern Kane County region a wonderful place to live, shop and do business!
