AS WE ARE HOPEFULLY CONTINUING to move past the pandemic, the #1 challenge being confronted by employers is the availability of workforce. It’s not geographic as it is being experienced nationally and in Canada and Europe, and in rural, urban and suburban areas alike. It’s not sectoral as it is being experienced in manufacturing, retail, read more
Chamber Wise
ARE WE THERE YET?
THE TOPIC OF THE SUMMER is the border and what progress we can achieve toward reopening. And so, I am focusing on the border in this column, though I am writing it in mid-July, not knowing how all of our efforts may or may not impact things by the first of August. It’s like a read more
One More Recovery Opportunity for Our Small Businesses
OVER THE LAST 15 MONTHS, the North Country Chamber has committed itself to assisting area businesses survive the pandemic and recover from its impacts in a number of ways. One of these has been to advocate for federal and state business support of various kinds and then to provide information, guidance and assistance in accessing read more
A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER
And so, we head into a summer like no other, with the border expected to remain largely closed to non-essential travel and with the continuing (if hopefully diminishing) impacts of the pandemic and lingering business and travel restrictions. The impacts continue to be very uneven. While some hospitality related businesses dependent on our Canadian friends read more
WE’RE ALREADY AT THE HEART OF THE GREEN ECONOMY
“What can we do to be part of the green economy and clean energy jobs?” This question has become routine when meeting with someone we haven’t met with before to discuss economic development in the North Country. And my answer is always the same. We were 25 years ahead of the curve when we decided read more
Where NY Meets Montreal – Ou New York recontre Montreal
Spring is a time for renewal and the North Country Chamber has been renewing its brand and presentation in several respects in recent weeks. March first saw the official launch of our new Chamber logo, creating a modern look that is more representative of a multi-faceted, regional business and economic development organization. But we weren’t read more
TIME FOR A NEW LOOK
Some 25 years ago, as we set about morphing the Plattsburgh & Clinton County Chamber into a new regional entity for the North Country, we created a new logo. Stressing water and mountains, it was comfortable as an expression of our geography and even of our long-time engagement in tourism marketing. It came at a read more
WHAT NEXT FOR U.S.-CANADA RELATIONS?
We are always pointing out that there is no greater driving force in the North Country economy than our multi-faceted economic connections with neighboring Canada. And so, as the new Biden Administration settles in Washington, the state and character of U.S.-Canadian relations going forward is a major cross border topic with our friends and partners. read more
WORDS TO LIVE BY
In the year 1016 there was a great Danish prince who united the thrones of Denmark, Norway and England. His name has been lost in the midst of time but it could have been either King Knute the Great or King Herbert the Carpenter. The prince was known to be wise, successful and great at read more
ONWARD IN 2021!
While things won’t return to normal on New Year’s Eve just because a new year will be upon us, 2021 will certainly be the year when we (hopefully) experience the long-awaited emergence from the worst of the pandemic and see the restoration of more and more normalcy, in part assuming a vaccine and further positivity read more