Membership Directory 2022

I want to thank EVERYONE for the opportunity to serve as the President and CEO of your Chamber. Since my first day back on December 1, it has been a fast paced and exciting time learning everything the Cham ber does for its members and the community. I have truly enjoyed meeting everyone and seeing firsthand how valuable a mem bership with the Chamber can be. I especially want to thank my Executive Board, Board of Directors, Ambassadors, and my staff. I appreciate your hard work and countless volunteer hours in promoting our business commu nity and making our community one of the best places to live and work. Our success in fulfilling the Chamber’s mission and comple tion of our strategic goals is due to the collaborative effort by all. Economic growth and a vibrant business community is the pri mary goal of the Chamber. Which is very similar to the mission at Virginia ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) where I was the Special Agent in Charge of the for the southwest portion of the state. Some have asked how the transi tion has been after spending the past twenty-seven years in law enforcement and now working for the Chamber. The answer is simple, “it’s been great!” Sure, I miss the job and the people I worked with, but the Chamber is a way to give back to the commu nity and build on relationships that I already had with stake holders in the area. As we come out of a pandemic, we will all need to continue to

ship New River Valley continues to be a success, mainly due to the hard work and dedication of the committee members. Those that have attended this program, and currently in attendance, all speak highly of this program. These are just a few of the examples of current programs the Chamber offers, but there are many more posted of the on the website at www.montgomerycc.org . We are fortunate to have such a large and diverse membership of more than 600 members that provide experience and exper tise. We invite any business that is prepared to invest in them selves, and the community by becoming involved in the Cham ber.

work together, and be creative in our problem solving. As we move forward, my focus is to build on the foundation my predecessor Sharron Scott established, which is for the Chamber to be a re source and advocate to promote business growth and strong leaders within our community. For example, the three CASE (re ferral) groups are filling up fast with members sharing informa tion and building contacts, and we have also initiated monthly meetings to help small business es (members and nonmembers) with financial assistance and connecting them with the Small Business Development Center. There has been good turnout with our meetings for the Minori ty Business Accelerator and I only expect more interest as word gets out. We also continue to see excellent turnout at our ribbon cuttings. I truly believe this is the result of members supporting one another and wanting to see them succeed. Also, the Leader RELATIONSHIPS THAT I ALREADY HAD WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE AREA. THE CHAMBER IS A WAY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND BUILD ON

Steve Baffuto President & CEO

MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | 7