Chamber Update

Please give a warm welcome to our newest members: Exotic Pet Pals LLC., Booth Brothers Construction and CBS Imaging Solutions, which joined as a premium bronze member. And we thank all our members who have renewed their memberships during this tough time, especially the restaurants.

Despite the COVID challenges, we had a busy December and ended the year on a high note.

On December 1, we held a virtual general membership meeting to elect the 2021 board of directors, and I am so excited to announce our 2021 slate:

President – Dianna Lancione, The Voice Media

First Vice President – Crystal Wiley, Severn Bank

Second Vice President – Patrick Lee, Chesapeake Think Tank

Treasurer – Valerie McLaughlin, Emerald Financial Partners

Secretary – Christina Prieto, Christina Josephs Salon

Director – Jaron Rice, Magothy Payments

Director – Sherri Norton, Live! Casino & Hotel

Director – Kristine Pennington, The Y of Central Maryland

Director – Melanie Ferragut, PNC Bank

Director – Tammie Neall, Anne Arundel Community College

I thank them in advance for their service to the chamber.

On December 3, we held a ribbon cutting for Tutor Partners, with 20 in attendance outside of the chamber building. Tutor Partners has been providing online tutoring for years and is a wonderful resource for students needing support and parents struggling to help with schoolwork. Owner Karima Davis is also doing live webinars on the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. Please go to our page to see some of the great videos that are helpful for parents.

In lieu of our annual tree lighting/open house celebration, on December 11 we held a “Trick or Tree” at the chamber. Community members were invited to see the tree and have their pictures taken with the Grinch and Santa. We distributed over 100 goodie bags with coupons and items from our members. Many thanks to our sponsors: Minuteman Press of Crofton (event sponsor), Delegate Heather Bagnall, Mathnasium, Steak ‘n Shake and Chick-fil-A. It was a wonderful event and people loved being able to do something in person that was COVID safe.

Our Successful Women in Business luncheon was held on December 16, with carryout from Café Bretton, which prepared five delectable selections for the luncheon, topped off with a cake pop from Lisa’s Cakepops. Our luncheon sponsor was Lisa’s Cakepops, and vendors were Deca Wrap, Peach, Coldwell Banker and the Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi. We said goodbye to long-serving committee chair Pam Spearman and welcomed new chairs Kelly and Peggy Pendergast of Monument Sotheby’s International Realty. We are so glad that Nancy Greer of the Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi will remain as co-chair.

We began the new year with a large multi-chamber legislative leadership breakfast. More than 80 people attended the virtual meeting on January 7 that was sponsored by the Gardiner and Appel Group. From a panel discussion, we learned about legislation that will impact small businesses.

Please join us on January 21 at 8:30am for a fascinating webinar on “Taming Your Monkey Mind.” Hosted by our Health and Wellness Committee, this webinar will be presented by Billy Greer, owner of the Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi. The “monkey mind” is our inner critic, that little nagging voice that undermines our confidence. In this webinar, you will learn techniques and practices to “tame” these unwanted thoughts and mental chatter, which so many are experiencing under the stress of the world these days. The event is free and open to the public, and registration can be found on the chamber’s Facebook page or our website.

We are very much looking forward to holding events in public again, particularly the July 4 parade. Planning for the parade begins at the end of January, so our first steps are on the horizon.

As always, we urge you to support our small businesses in every way you can. Before you press that key to order from Amazon, please check in with our local businesses first. It is astounding what they have been able to put in place to better serve their customers. They are creative and innovative and have done everything possible to adapt to this new environment. Shop local, support local, give local.

To learn more about the chamber, please email me at ceo@gspacc.com, call 410-647-3900, and visit our website at www.gspacc.com. You are welcome to join our mailing list at www.gspacc.com and receive our weekly newsletter.

We also hold a Chamber 101 orientation for new and prospective members on the last Friday of each month. Meetings are virtual, free and open to the public. You can find all the information on our calendar at www.gspacc.com.