What's New for the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce in June

Congratulations to the Town of Norton for making such terrific progress on its High School renovation project. The Tri Town Chamberboard of directors greatly appreciated Greg Smolley from JCJ Architecture and Tom O’Neill from project management company Pinck and Company stopping by to provide an update on the project.

Norton continues the tradition of celebrating its status as one of the oldest communities in the state. Building upon last year’s Tricentennial, the town is slated to celebrate Founders Day by way of a picnic and fireworks on Saturday, June 23. Chamber Ambassador and Nortonian Bill Lippincott from Merrill Lynch is once again taking a lead role in organizing the event.

Two weeks prior to Norton’s event, the town of Foxborough will celebrate a Founders Day of its own on Saturday, June 9. The parade starts at 10 AM at 132 Central Street. Don’t miss the doll carriage parade at the Hyland Rink at 1 PM.

Not to be outdone, the Mansfield Downtown Business Association hosts its annual Family Fun Night on Tuesday, July 10. While there are no parades or picnics involved, this event is a safe and fun night for families. Main Street will be completely closed off to traffic, as area merchants optimize the opportunity to show off their wares. This is a truly old-fashioned community event.

In addition to supporting and promoting events within our three towns, the Tri Town Chamber of Commerce also contributes to the community by participating in area cause-related activities. This year, the Chamber will field a team for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Mansfield on June 15-16; Brigham and Women’s Mass General Health Care Center will sponsor a team of their own at the Foxborough Relay on June 22-23. Come join us!

The Chamber will stage its first ever lunch-time Women’s Link, at noon on June 26th at Showcase Live in Foxborough. Come see Marjorie Clapprood, local celebrity, former state representative, radio personality and co-owner of Christina’s Fireside Grill. Check theWomen’s Link on the Chamber website for details.

We are continuing to help small businesses to more effectively market themselves via our Take a Break for Business series. Melody Howard Ritt from Howard Communication Associates will present Power Up Your Business Using PR from noon to 1 PM on Thursday, June 21 in the Focal Point Coaching Conference Room at the Chamber. All segments of this series are free to members and $10 to not-yet members. Call 508 339-5655 or by email to sign up.

Our Business After Hours this month will hosted by the Pros Car Care Complex in Mansfield June 12 from 5 to 7 PM. Cost of the event is free to members and guests and $10 to not yet members. Contact the Chamber at 508 339 5655 or by email to sign up.

Two Chamber members have stood out this year so far by making contributions above and beyond the call of duty. David Santoro of New York Life prevailed over some very intense competition to earn Ambassador of the Quarter. Peter Demers from Inquiry Analyticshas taken a lead role in Tri Town’s effort to collect, report, and act on information to better understand how our cooperative can better serve the needs of its members.

The third Tri Town Referral Exchange (TREX) group is now up and running. TREX provides a forum for group members to meet on a scheduled basis to collaborate on business development opportunities, share leads and mastermind ways to improve their businesses. The groups are popular because, while groups do require specific membership, we do not charge members an additional fee to join.

The Chamber has one office available for rent in our Mansfield Crossing facility, behind Kohl’s, conveniently located near the intersection of routes 95 and 495. Utilities and limited use of the Chamber’s Focal Point Coaching Conference Room are included in the rent. Email or call the chamber at 508 339 5655 for details.

As President of the Board for the Tri Town Chamber of Commerce, I invite residents and local businesses reading the Foxborough, Mansfield and Norton Patch pages to come to visit us during a chamber event or charity function. If you can’t make it in person, please join our groups on LinkedIn and on Facebook. We want to hear what you have to say!

John Bates is the President of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce and operates Job-Guy, a career coaching practice in Mansfield. Since joining the Chamber in 2005, John has also helped out as an Ambassador and as Vice President for Membership Development. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce, we would welcome you.