Message From the President

Message from A.J. Baynes: February 2024 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO The Chamber hosted its annual meeting on February 2, and the turnout from our membership for this event was absolutely overwhelming. The room was at capacity with business, governmental, and philanthropic leaders from across Western New York as we swore in our new officers,…

Message from A.J. Baynes: January 2024 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO The start of a new year is a time for business owners to feel hopeful and optimistic about what’s to come. January is a great month to take action, set goals, recognize even the smallest achievements, and avoid getting discouraged by any setbacks that…

Message from A.J. Baynes: December 2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO As the year draws to a close, it’s natural to reflect on the past twelve months and evaluate what we’ve accomplished. Have we met the goals we set for ourselves? Have we made progress in areas we identified as essential? If we are honest…

Message from A.J. Baynes: November 2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO The festive holiday season started early this year with The Event – Celebrating Business Excellence 2023, a sellout crowd with almost 500 people in attendance, a crowd that was so energetic that the power went off… not once but twice throughout the evening. Thankfully,…

Message from A.J. Baynes: October 2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO It is October, and the Chamber is busy planning our biggest night of the year with The Event – Celebrating Business Excellence at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens on Monday, October 23, 2023. With over 425 people already registered, we will once again shatter attendance records,…

Message from A.J. Baynes: September 2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO As we bid farewell to the summer months, it’s time to shift our focus towards the busy fall season ahead. With the changing seasons and the ever-evolving business landscape, it’s crucial to take a proactive approach to ensure success. Now is the time to…

Message from A.J. Baynes: July 2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO As we roll into summer, the Chamber is thrilled to report that only a few tickets remain for our Small Business Awards Luncheon and Showcase on Thursday, July 20, at Samuel’s Grande Manor. Our Small Business Awards Luncheon is always one of our more…

Message from A.J. Baynes: June 2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO While the Chamber has been extremely busy over the past few weeks, we are now shifting our focus to our Small Business Awards Luncheon and Showcase, where we will honor several Western New York small businesses and two individuals who have made a tremendous…

Message from A.J. Baynes: May2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO As businesses are facing the challenges of a tight labor market, there are a multitude of ways for employers to separate themselves from their competitors when trying to recruit new talent to their team. At the Chamber, we have worked with many recruiters to help…

Message from A.J. Baynes: April 2023 A.J. Baynes, President & CEO The first quarter has ended, and now is the time to take stock if you are achieving the targets you wanted to set forth. One of the goals we set forth this year was to ensure we continued to maintain the pulse of our…