What’s new with the Tri Town Chamber of Commerce in June

What a great night! Last Thursday, Tri Town hosted our fourth annual Monte Carlo Night at Showcase Live in Foxborough. The event is our biggest fundraiser of the year and really does offer something for everyone. Festivities that included a Neil Young tribute performer – John Fuzek, gaming tables, door prizes announced by Miss Norfolk County Taylor Kinzler, great food and over 80 silent auction items.

Speaking of the auction, how does the Deutsche Bank Championship Conference Room sound? This will be the new name for the chamber’s conference room now that DBC outbid yours truly for 2013 naming rights.

By all accounts April’s Women’s Link, also held at Showcase Live, was exceptional. Jennifer Vondenbrink of Life Simplified, delivered “Leaving a Legacy Every Day.” Thanks to sponsors Mansfield Bank and Dream Dinners, the event cost only $20 including breakfast! Please keep an eye on the chamber website for the next edition of this ever-popular event.

In addition to doing excellent presentations, Jen is the social media specialist for the chamber and provides monthly LinkedIn workshops to interested chamber members and local businesses. This month’s topic: Beginner LinkedIn.

We are continuing to help small businesses to more effectively market themselves via our Take a Break for Business development series. Apparently-tireless Jen Vondenbrink will present the ABCs of Social Media from noon to 1 PM on Thursday, May 24 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 to sign up.

Tri Town was well represented in support of Keep Mansfield Beautiful fifth annual Great American Cleanup of Mansfield on April 28.  This year Norton staged its first formal cleanup effort on May 5. Check out our Facebook page for pictures. Talks are already underway to encourage Foxborough to participate next year in a Tri Town area one day trash clearing extravaganza!

June provides many opportunities for us to partner with terrific area events and causes including Foxborough Founders Day on June 9, Norton’s Founders Day on June 23, Mansfield Family Fun Night on July 10, and Relay for Life events in both Mansfield (June 15-16) and Foxborough (June 22-23).

Any local business person who is concerned about impact of “Pending Legislation That Could Affect Your Business” can’t miss Bill Vernon from the National Federation of Independent Businesses and Tim Kenneally of Foley & Foley PC speak on Wednesday, May 30 from 8 to 9:30 AM at the Mansfield/Foxborough Holiday Inn.

On April 24, our Economic Development Committee was proud to host a strategy session with the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District's Regional Economic Development Committee. We quite literally filled the room with local influencers to share information about how Tri Town and SRPEDD could better work together to optimize the region's land use, transportation, economy and environment.

We have a Special Networking Opportunity this month will a joint venture with the Milford and Neponset Valley Chambers. This event needs a huge facility and we found one! The Comcast Center in Mansfield will be our host on May 17 from 5 to 7 PM. While events at Tri Town are normally free, attendance for this one mega-event is $10 to members and guests and $15 to not yet members. Contact the Chamber at 508 339 5655 or by email to sign up.

The third Tri Town Referral Exchange (TREX) group is now up and running. TREX provides a forum for group members to meet on a biweekly 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 two offices 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.