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The Greater Atlantic City Chamber would like to thank the following sponsors:
Chairman's Message
When I "assumed" the office of chairman of the Atlantic City Mainland Chamber of Commerce - whatever our name was back then - I think we all “assumed” that we were at the dawn of that elusive third wave of development that was about to wash over our shores. The nostalgia of watching the Sands come down was offset by the promise of the Pinnacle. The cranes at Revel worked six and seven days a week to keep up with that seemingly endless parade of pre-fab concrete that rolled past my office window. What would be built out first: MGM or Bader Field?
Things, and assumptions, have changed over two years. Our local economy, like the national and global economies, has suffered historic distress over the past eight to ten months. As Memorial Day approaches, our annual optimism about this being the best summer ever is tinged somewhat with cautious trepidation.
But no matter how bad things may appear, there is still no where I want to be on a Sunny Sunday than on the beach. They don’t have Atlantic City sub rolls anywhere else so no one can make a cheesesteak like they do around here. On Friday afternoon, I want to be sitting on the fantail of my buddy’s boat or a bayfront deck watching the sunset. I never crave ice cream, but often make special trips to the boardwalk just to get a chocolate mint chip cone. It’s just a great place to live, to raise a family, and together, to weather this storm.
I wish Ken Calemmo, my successor as chairman the very best. I am proud to say that we have successfully rebranded the Chamber thanks to Jeff Vasser’s leadership and Parker and Partner’s creative genius. The Greater Atlantic City Chamber has a winning ring to it, and our tag lines of Community, Prosperity and Advocacy succinctly convey what it is we’re all about.
- Community: The Chamber provides a social network in both the actual and the virtual sense of the term. Mixers, lunches and special events bring us together to make new friends, find new clients, and grow our opportunities. The Air Show brings almost three quarters of a million people to our beaches, boardwalk and retail outlets mid week every August. And our Community Development Corporation continues to develop workforce housing providing new ratables to the City and the pride of home ownership to local employees.
- Prosperity: Our Member-to Member program provides dozens of purchase opportunities for members to earn significant savings by taking advantage of the Chambers buying power. Marketing opportunities throughout the year give members the chance to reach local employers and their thousands of employees. The cost of a Chamber membership can come back several times over; it’s an investment in yourself and in your company and one that pays off again and again throughout the year.
- Advocacy: The Chamber is the Voice of Business. In City Hall, in Trenton and in Washington, we have our ear to the ground and protecting and promoting your interests. And it has never been a more important time to be standing up to protect what you have and to support business friendly initiatives. With the support of the Chair's Council, our presence is seen and heard and we have proven (COAH, for example) that we can impact the events of the day.
So I will now assume the role of past-Chairman, and beyond that I will assume nothing. Well, that’s not entirely true. I will continue to assume that this wonderful corner of the world will retain its resiliency, will always reinvent itself as needed, and will continue to fascinate. The business community here is full of remarkable people doing remarkable things. It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with them. It has also been a pleasure and an honor to work with the Chamber leadership and staff. I assume they will continue to do remarkable things and, together, we will never give up that optimism that we know every Memorial Day as our birthright.
Paul Gallagher, Chairman
Greater Atlantic City Chamber
Photo by Donna Connor
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