Photo credit – Diane Caudullo
Each year, many organizations have what is in essence the same event each year, be it a street fair or a music night or an annual awards night. To some degree it is more of the same yet also so very different.
The Brookhaven Chambers of Commerce Coalition is one such organization and for twenty-five years they have worked tirelessly to support all things “small and local business”. This year was the 25th anniversary of just that. Their annual awards night dinner.
There are a number of chambers of commerce within the boundaries of Brookhaven Town. A chamber of commerce is a volunteer organization made up of business owners, management, and/or salespeople from various businesses who come together to support their business community and the surrounding area. Small business, as we know, is the backbone of the American economy. A community with robust local businesses is often a sign of an overall strong community. The various chambers tend to represent and focus on their somewhat immediate vicinity determined by their own leadership, usually concentrating within their own town’s boundaries or a collection of a few surrounding towns.
The Brookhaven Chambers of Commerce Coalition (BCCC) is a chamber-oriented organization that unites all of the chambers of commerce in the Town of Brookhaven. The BCCC is led by Barbara Ransome (pictured above) of Port Jefferson and is comprised of one member representative from each participating Chamber of Commerce in the Town of Brookhaven.
Starting in 2010, the Brookhaven Coalition established two programs to support local business: a Small Business Improvement Award, and a Chamber Economic Stimulus Incentive Grant. Businesses can submit a written essay-like application telling a little about their business, possibly some obstacle they are facing, or talk about the potential growth they are experiencing. The only real stipulation is their business must be small, local, and they must be a member in good standing of one of the member chambers.
The small business Improvement award, a monetary prize of $1,200.00 is given to an applicant who shows what specifically they would do with the money. They must cite a specific purchase or use of funds and show how it could positively benefit the business. The Chamber Economic Stimulus Incentive Grant, of $1,000.00 is awarded to the Chamber itself. The member chamber submits the application and again states how the money will be used but for the benefit of the chamber as a whole, such as starting or improving a website, a mailing or membership drive, or hosting an event to further promote and grow the Chamber.
In more recent years the BCCC added another grant category with 2 monetary prizes, $1000.00 and $500.00. This grant is titled BCCC’s Enticement Grants but is also known as a recovery grant. The criteria is simple and the use of money is broader. The BCCC realizes that running a business is hard and even harder after living through the COVID-19 Pandemic. The business can simply state how a little monetary “shot in the arm” (pun intended) could really help and it can be used for any operating expenses like payroll, rent or utilities. Who couldn’t use a little extra cash?
Every year, each individual chamber chooses a Chamber Member of the Year, an individual who has tirelessly promoted growth or success within their chamber. From that pool of chosen members, the BCCC board chooses one to be the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce Coalition Top Member of the Year.
The Brookhaven Coalition hosts a dinner event annually to acknowledge all the chambers’ members of the year, the recipients of the grants, as well as the Brookhaven member of the year. It is a tremendous event each year, full of networking and applauding the efforts of all.
This year’s event was held recently on April 16 at The Meadow Club in Port Jefferson Station. A truly great event. On display was nothing less than true camaraderie, a real desire to support one another in keeping their businesses and respective communities thriving. You can see the many sincere friendships that have been made as well as the business connections.
Among the recipients of the grant money were Port Jefferson Bowl winning the $500 to go towards updating their bowling shoe inventory and $1000 to Nantucket’s, of Port Jefferson, which will go towards the purchase of a new stove. The $1200 Small Business Improvement Award was granted to Sundaes in Port Jefferson Station for some updates to the ice cream store.
These are excellent examples of how the grant money is used to truly benefit the businesses.
The $1000 Economic Stimulus went to the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce and the overall Brookhaven Member of the Year went to Marisa Pizza (pictured above) of the Farmingville Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Always a great event each year as good hardworking business members volunteer their time to ensure the community as a whole not only survives but thrives. But there was something extra special this year.
Indu Kaur, owner of the Meadow Club, of Port Jefferson Station, was an amazing host. If you have not been to the Meadow Club lately, you need to revisit it. Indu and her team made the physical location absolutely stunning over the last few years and her staff was professional yet warm and welcoming. The food was served in more of a passed hor d’oeuvres-cocktail hour-type setting where everything was absolutely plentiful and delicious allowing the flow of movement and conversation to take place. The ambiance and the overall quality set the tone for the overall exceptional evening.
The Messenger was on hand to capture the night’s highlights on camera utilizing the very equipment we were the $1200 grant recipient for last year.
The Messenger would like to congratulate the BCCC, all of the member Chambers, and all of the award recipients. Your efforts and your contributions are appreciated more than you know and do not go unnoticed.
