The Chamber's Ambassador Committee began in 2012 under the leadership of Jim Cama and Kelly Therrien and is currently chaired by Lori Lodge. Ambassadors are highly visible, prestigious volunteers who serve as the Chamber’s primary liaison to new Chamber members. Considered the goodwill arm of the Chamber, the Ambassador committee plays an essential role in member communication and retention, and each Ambassador is charged with conveying member needs, questions and concerns to Chamber staff, and keeping our Chamber in line with our members’ desires. Upon their appointment, each Ambassador makes a commitment to build lasting relationships with the Chamber membership, particularly new members, in order to build a loyal, committed membership base that will continue to support, participate in, and invest in the Chamber.

We keep growing every year! We now have over 50 ambassadors participating with our new members.

The Audit Committee works with independent auditors and the Controller to make sure the financial statements are accurate and in compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. They are involved in the planning of the audit of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and the Business Industry Foundation of Middlesex County to review and accept the financial statements. The committee is chaired by Richard Parmelee.

The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce began an Automotive Council in 1987 to promote good business and trade among the automotive industry in Middlesex County. Over the past 30+ years, the council has worked hard to bring hot issues and current trends to the table for discussion and resolution. The Council has addressed many issues that have helped local businesses in this very important business cluster. Through the years, the council have maintained a partnership with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the CT Automotive Retailers Association, which provides our members with a great avenue to use when questions or problems arise. Richard Jukonski and Michael Turner have chaired this council and have been instrumental in its success.

The Business & Education Partnership Program Advisory Council facilitates the development of mutually supportive partnerships between Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce member businesses, Middlesex Consortium of Schools, other county School Partners, and surrounding area schools, for the purpose of enriching the educational process of our students to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business world, and global workforce. One of the main goals of the partnership is to build and maintain active relationships between businesses and schools, by providing services such as the annual High School Career Fair Expo -a Career Exploration Event that assist schools in preparing our next generation of career-ready workers for the ever-changing workforce. Once again, as in 2020 and 2021, the 2022 in-person event at Wesleyan, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, so we continued the “Virtual High School Career Fair/Career Exploration Series” started in 2021. Over 73 Business and Career Professionals have recorded live virtual, interactive presentations of their careers/professions with Middlesex County High School students via Zoom and Google Meets, and can be accessed any time from the Chamber website. The Council strives to continue focusing on the promotion of Skilled Trades within STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics), and Manufacturing fields. Sponsorship and funding support for the 2021-2022 Business & Education Partnership Program was provided by Eversource Energy and Pratt & Whitney. 2022 Virtual High School Career Fair Exploration Series Videos were produced/edited by Rhea Drozdenko, and students from Wesleyan University-Jewett Center for Community Partnerships. The Business & Education Partnership Program Advisory Council is chaired by Todd Corey.

Over the past year, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce continued to support strong development activity and receive serious relocation interest in Middlesex County. Chamber President Larry McHugh and his team have continued discussions with developers and local business leaders regarding available properties and other important economic development issues. Chamber staff worked especially hard on the critically important issues of workforce development, business district parking, supporting Connecticut manufacturing, Middletown Riverfront Development, and attracting and promoting tourism. Throughout this COVID-19 crisis and beyond, we have continuously supported businesses of all sizes and from all industry sectors through technical assistance, and have done everything we can to be a constructive community partner.

In 2021-2022, the Chamber’s Environment and Infrastructure Committee focused on a variety of important issues dealing with the environment, land use, energy, transportation, water and sewer infrastructure, and much more. The group, led by Chairman Tim Myjak, also advised the Legislative Committee and Board of Directors on relevant chamber policy statements, and served as the chamber’s lead sub committee on issues pertaining to the Connecticut River, construction projects that either directly impacted or had the potential to impact our members, and much more. Finally, the committee continued to focus on “economic resilience”, and will be tasked with incorporating lessons learned during the pandemic into future emergency planning for the business community in our region.

The mission of the Chamber’s Health Care Council is to maintain a line of communication between the business and health care community, and to work on projects to improve the health, healthcare, and value of health care in the county. The Council, sponsored by Middlesex Health, identifies opportunities for the development and implementation of collaborative solutions that strive for an efficient, high quality and effective health care system.

Throughout the years, the Council has created several programs and initiatives with the help of many dedicated business and health care representatives. Under the leadership of Kelly Smith and the Steering Team, the Council strives to educate members and engage them in dialogue about the leading-edge issues for healthcare. The council continues to promote positive changes in Middlesex County’s current health climate, paying particular attention to cost, quality and assisting small employers with workplace wellness programs. Again this year we promoted the “Ask Me 3...Good Questions for Your Prescription Health” Outreach Program. With support from Middlesex Health and partnering with MCSAAC, this program is designed to assist individuals to ask the right questions when it comes to the prescription drugs that they are prescribed to educate on why they are needed, what the complications can be, what are the alternatives, and most importantly, what happens if they don’t take them.

The Human Resource Council, led by Nancy Nesbitt is now in its fourth year. The council consists of twelve members representing small, medium and large companies of varying industries. The goal of the council is to provide an opportunity for HR professionals to discuss employment related topics, exchange ideas with their peers and receive professional development and training. Charged to bring engaging events and informational workshops, the council was able to host a number of seminars and workshops for HR professionals and other relevant employees. New this year, the committee implemented a half-day workshop titled, “How To Be The Employer of Choice Half Day Conference + Health & Wellness Fair”. This workshop gave attendees the opportunity to hear from Top Employers of Connecticut featuring a large, medium and small company that spoke on their culture and innovative ways to retain and attract employees. Keynote for this event was Andi Campbell, Chief Growth Officer, WellSpark Health. The HR Council is committed to continuing to bring the latest information and topics to the forefront for discussion to assist our business community.

The Insurance Committee consists of member agents and their representatives in life, accident and health lines. The committee has had an active year through the leadership of its chairwoman, Darlene Kish. The committee has continued to advertise the chamber insurance program offering quality, affordable health care solutions. The Chamber has partnered with SL Healthplans to bring Chamber member health benefit plans, which are competitively priced and offer small business owners a variety of choices through our local member insurance agents. Voluntary benefits are also available and include: Vision Care, Dental, Short Term Disability and Term Life Insurance. The program continues to grow and expand throughout the region.

The Legislative Committee had another extremely productive year under the leadership of Co-Chairs Richard Carella and Dan Moore. The committee developed the chamber’s 2022 Public Policy Agenda, submitted public hearing testimony on a number of important bills that were under consideration at the General Assembly, and joined a number of coalitions dealing with issues from labor to tourism to hospitals and economic development. The Legislative Committee also hosted their Legislative Leadership Series which featured meetings with Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, and the 2022 Legislative Breakfast with the Middlesex County delegation, sponsored by Comcast. The committee tracked over 100 bills this session, kept members updated on the status of state budget negotiations, and worked hard once again on behalf of the business community in Middlesex County.

The Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council (MCSAAC) is a public-private partnership that brings diverse populations of the community together to reduce alcohol, tobacco, and substance abuse, prescription drug abuse, problem gambling, and suicide prevention. MCSAAC continues to serve our region’s families and businesses through collaboration with the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s Prevention Committee hosts seminars on the impact of alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace. The Chamber’s Healthcare Council Initiative partners with MCSAAC to address a myriad of substance abuse concerns. The Chamber and the Prevention Committee presented informative community workshops on the topics of opioid usage, vaping, and the connection between drug abuse and suicides.

Additionally, through the Business Industry Foundation, the Recovery Employment Program (REP) continues to assist people in recovery to contribute to the economy while building successful careers and maintaining their health and to develop a network of employers who are informed about addiction, have confidence in working with employees in recovery, and who's businesses thrive on the skills and talents such employees offer. REP also works in conjunction with MCSAAC on very informative workshops focusing on opioid addiction and vaping. These workshops have also become a part of the Recovery Friendly Workplace tool kit that DMHAS has instituted as an incentive for businesses in Middlesex County to focus on the well-being of our region’s community members and the businesses that operate them.

The Real Estate Council, under the leadership of Nancy Currlin and Juliet Cavanaugh, created an atmosphere for local realtors to come together for networking, encouraging cooperation, sharing ideas, improving business relations through collaboration, and educational experiences. The council consists of 24 members throughout the county who meet monthly. The main objectives include: continuing education for real estate renewal licenses, promotion of the real estate industry, legislation and referrals to the Chamber’s Legislative Committee.

The committee participated in two food drives , Lunch & Learn workshops, and a new Comedy Night event which raised funds for the chamber's Recovery Employment Program. One of the favorite gatherings that the Real Estate Council hosts is the Annual Real Estate Luncheon which was held on Tuesday, June 28 at Lyman Orchards Golf Club sponsored by Liberty Bank. At this event, attendees were able to celebrate Jennifer DeVivo, Calcagni Real Estate, who was the named our 2022 Mary Ellen Klinck Real Estate Industry Leader of the Year Award Winner.

The Strategic Events Committee was created in 2022 with the goal of evaluating chamber activities and events. The committee, under the leadership of chairwoman Mary Ann Perrotti, is busy planning for various mid to large scale events to diversify our current programming. These events would not only raise funds to benefit various chamber programs, but also to encourage member connections through fun and interactive events. While our chamber hosts over 5 large-scale events currently, we are always looking to branch out to new event options, styles, and previously untapped attendees.

The Strategic Planning Committee was created to explore the Chamber’s future path and develop a blueprint for the next 20 years. This committee is responsible for continually evaluating the Chamber’s strategic direction in order to ensure that the organization remains able to respond to the changing needs of its members and the Middlesex County community. The Committee will review policies and procedures that represent the interests of the Chamber and its membership.

Under the leadership of Teresa Opalacz and Anthony Assante, the committee has been working diligently throughout the year to develop the framework for the next five year Strategic Plan. The focus of this plan will be to continue to foster economic and business growth by serving area businesses and building community prosperity through advocacy, innovation, access to leaders, connectivity and business education so that all of our members can continue to prosper and grow. Moving forward, Strategic Planning will continue to foster economic and business growth by serving area businesses and building community prosperity through advocacy, innovation, access to leaders, connectivity and business education so that all of our members can continue to prosper and grow.

The Support the Troops and Honor the Veterans Committee includes representatives from the many veterans’ organizations in Middlesex County, along with the past recipients of the William J. Pomfret Veteran Community Service Award. The group is charged with planning and executing the chamber’s annual Support the Troops & Honor the Veterans Member Breakfast Meeting which is held every November. The 20th Annual Support the Troops and Honor the Veterans Member Breakfast Meeting was held virtually on November 1, 2021 and featured Keynote remarks from Retired Army Colonel Robert Cassidy, Andersen Fellow in Defense and Foreign Policy, Wesleyan University. This meeting was sponsored by Middlesex Health.

This event was attended by over 500 people, and featured terrific remarks from our 2021 William J. Pomfret Veteran Community Service Award Recipient, William F. “Skip” Petras III of Portland. The 2021 event also featured the presentation of the chamber’s AT&T Veteran Support Champion of the Year Award to Eversource Energy. The AT&T Veteran Support Champion of the Year Award is presented annually to a business or organization that supports active duty military personnel, veterans, and their families’ through employment, philanthropy, spousal support and other means.

There is nothing more important than supporting our troops and honoring the service and sacrifice of our veterans. The chamber is very proud of our Support the Troops and Honor the Veterans Committee, chaired by Retired Army Colonel Phil Cacciola, which works diligently throughout the entire year to put this important event together.

The Women’s Leadership Collaborative has been very active and is the premier resource for women to engage in professional development programs to promote personal and professional growth. Their goal is to unite a diverse mix of inspirational women leaders who empower women to achieve success.

Led by Chairwoman Kim Kann, the collaborative is steered by four sub-committees; WLCN (Networking), WLCC (Celebrate & Events), WLCL (Learn) and WLCE (Elevate Mentor Program) which creates future programming, events and educational opportunities. The collaborative presents activities throughout the year including a Women’s Leadership Conference, monthly networking events and a mentor program titled “Elevate Women” Mentoring for Women by Women.