Proprietor, Paul Noga, of Manny Corners Liquor & Wine, cuts the ribbon to celebrate his Grand Opening.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting for the Grand Opening of Manny Corners Liquor and Wine. Proprietor, Paul Noga, celebrated the opening by offering samples of wines and hors d’oeuvres to fellow Chamber members and patrons.

“It is wonderful to see another new business join our community” states Membership Assistant, Andrea Brooks. “The Chamber wishes Paul Noga and his family great success.”

Manny Corners Liquor and Wine is located at 236 State Highway 67 in Amsterdam. Hours of operation are Monday – Thursday, 10am-8pm; Friday and Saturday, 9am-9pm; and closed on Sundays. For more information on wine and liquor selections available you may call the store at 627-4221.

Visit the Chamber’s website at www.montgomerycountyny.com for more information on Manny Corners Liquor and Wine and other Chamber members.

The team and cheerleaders after the game. Squatting, co-captains Chuck Schwartz and Brennen Parker. First row, l to r: Deb Auspelmyer, Carol Constantino, Andy Heck, Pete Rose, Nancy Carr, Pat Beck, Mary Cook, Michele Marzullo, Jeanne So, Andrea Brooks and Robert Carr. Back row l t r: Mike Rodecker, Brent Pollak, Alex Kuchis, Andrew Roth, Matthew Rhodes, John Salls, Dr. Anthony D'Addio, Marty Hughes and Matt Ossenfort.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce played against the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce in a friendly game of softball prior to a recent Amsterdam Mohawk’s Game.  The game was a promotional and marketing Project Based Learning project of the Amsterdam High School Principles of Marketing Class taught by Brian Spagnola and Gina Holloway.  “In the beginning of our Mohawk’s Promotional Event project, the student’s proposal was to get area business people together for a game of softball, food, and camaraderie before a scheduled Mohawk’s game,” explains Gina Holloway.  “After meeting with General Manager, Bill Terlecky, they decided to expand the teams to include players from both Fulton and Montgomery Counties.  This led the students to seek the involvement of the Chambers of Commerce.   It was at their meeting with both Chambers that the idea evolved into a yearly competition, with the ‘Chamber Cup’ being the coveted prize.”

Players for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce were  Dr. Charlie Archinal, Robert J. Dunning DDS, PC; Patricia Beck, The Leader Herald; Nancy Carr, Amsterdam Y.M.C.A.; Dr. Anthony D’Addio, Robert J. Dunning DDS, PC; Andy Heck, Alpin Haus; Marty Hughes, Betz, Rossi, Bellinger & Stewart Family Funeral Homes; Alex Kuchis, Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte; Matt Ossenfort, Assemblyman Amedore’s office; Brennen Parker, Rose & Kiernan; Bent Pollak, KeyBank; Matthew Rhodes, Key Bank; Mike Rodecker, The Chamber; Dick Rose, Canajoharie Central School District; Pete Rose, Betz, Rossi, Bellinger & Stewart Family Funeral Homes; Andrew Roth, Hear For You; John Salls, The chamber; and Charles Schwartz, The Schwartz Law Firm.  Cheerleaders for the team were  Carol Constantino, Noteworthy; Jeanne So, Sanford  Home for Women; and chamber team Andrea Brooks, Theresa Butkevitch, Michele Marzullo and intern Mary Cook.

The Montgomery County Chamber won the game, 14-4.  “More importantly was the opportunity to work with the High School on this project promoting one of the area’s wonderful assets while bringing members of both chambers together to network and connect,” states Chamber President, Deborah Auspelmyer.  “Everyone had a great time and enjoyed watching the Amsterdam Mohawks as well.  It was a fun way to connect and network.”

Hundreds of business people connected at last year’s Celebration Cruise; 1 River.12 Chambers. This year’s cruise is scheduled for July 14. Photo courtesy of joanheffler.com

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce invites their business members and employees to come aboard to network with other business colleagues from 12 chambers of commerce on the Captain JP II, Thursday, July 14.

“This event is a great opportunity to connect with business professionals from 12 chambers in the greater Tech Valley region,” states Montgomery County Chamber President, Deborah Auspelmyer, one of the 12 chambers participating in the event.

The Celebration Cruise will include non-stop networking, live entertainment, door prizes, hot hors d’oeuvres and drink specials in a fun and relaxed atmosphere geared to connect and network.

Boarding is from 5:30  – 6 pm, the cruise will run from 6 – 8 pm.  Tickets are only $36 per person.  Call the Chamber at 842-8200 for more information on this exciting event sponsored by CDPHP.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce presented scholarships to local high school graduates. R to l: Chamber President, Deborah Auspelmyer; Miss Jessica Perfetti, Amsterdam High School graduate; Miss Jessica Lape, Canajoharie High School Graduate; and Chairman of the Montgomery County Chamber Board, Chuck Schwartz.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Jessica Lape, a graduate of Canajoharie High School, and Jessica Perfetti, a graduate of Amsterdam High School, were selected as the recipients of The Chamber’s Scholarship for the 2011/2012 academic year.  Both students will be attending Fulton-Montgomery Community College.

“I have a goal to become a high school guidance counselor and the only way to achieve that goal is to go to college and receive my masters,” states Jessica Lape.  “To be able to go to college today is very expensive and all the help I can receive will help me reach my goal.  Now that I have received the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s Scholarship, I will be able to put that money towards my tuition and the many books I will have to purchase to study during my many years I will have to spend to get my degree.  This scholarship means one stop towards my dreams coming true and success.  As a guidance counselor I can help my students learn that a higher education is very important to be successful in life.”  Miss Lape has been involved in the Science Club, SADD, Eleanor Roosevelt Girls Leadership program, Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Ambassador, ballet and modern dance, the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Team, Relay for Life Member, Special Olympics Volunteer, and much more.  She was also Miss Fonda Fair, 2010.

“This scholarship is important to me because it will help me with a start of a new chapter in my life,” states Jessica Perfetti.  “I’m excited and enthusiastic about my choice to attend Fulton Montgomery Community College in the fall.  It’s a great school and is going to be an important step to achieving my future goals.”  Miss Perfetti plans on pursuing a career as an elementary school teacher.  Miss Perfetti has been involved in Learn and Serve America and Operation Smile.  She has also babysat and participated as an afterschool program instructor for McNulty School.

The Montgomery County Chamber’s scholarship program was initiated to provide an opportunity for local students to gain access to higher education through FMCC, often the stepping-stone of many educational careers.  To date, The Chamber has presented over $5,000 to local high school students throughout Montgomery County including the Amsterdam, Canajoharie, Fonda-Fultonville, Fort Plain and St. Johnsville school districts.

“This scholarship program is one of the many ways the Montgomery County Chamber supports our community”, states Chamber Board Chairman, Attorney Charles Schwartz. “The Chamber recognizes the value of our community college and the potential of our students as future community leaders. We wish both Jessica’s the best of luck.”

One of the chamber’s goals is to be able to award a scholarship to one student from each high school in Montgomery County in the future.  “This scholarship has enabled students to pursue careers in various fields including healthcare services, education, criminal justice, and human services to name just a few,” states Chamber President, Deborah Auspelmyer.  “Because of generous support we have been able to assist several students from throughout Montgomery County over the years.  We need to continue to build the fund and are currently seeking donations from local businesses and residents.  Continuing education and building the workforce is critical to the success of our businesses and our communities.”

The Chamber is seeking donations toward the scholarship fund. To make a donation you can stop by Citizens Bank on Route 30N in Amsterdam and ask for the Montgomery County Scholarship Fund or contact the Chamber at 842-8200.

Summer is here and with it comes a full calendar of events of things to do throughout Montgomery County and golf tournament season as well.  The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce reminds the community and business members to be sure to utilize the on-line calendar to post upcoming events and view it for potential conflicts when looking at a date to schedule an event.

“The on-line calendar of events is a great resource when searching for things to do, business promotions and sales, golf tournaments and just about anything our members have to promote,” states Chamber President, Deborah Auspelmyer.  “I encourage organizations to utilize it when looking to book an event as well to avoid conflicts.”

Also on the website are menus of business member restaurants, member-to-member discount coupons, a monthly poll, up-to-date chamber news and radio broadcasts, loan information, pertinent links for business start-up information and much more.  A comprehensive directory of over 550 business members is available as well, categorized alphabetically and by category to make utilizing local businesses easy.

“One of our goals as the Chamber is to promote buying locally and business-to-business,” continues Auspelmyer.  “There is a chamber member business listed for just about every type of service and product anyone might need.  We strongly encourage our members and the community to utilize these businesses, not only to keep their business local but to establish those business-to-business relationships.”

Popular pages downloaded from the chamber’s site include the chamber’s newsletter, restaurant menus, and the business directory.  Popular exit pages and links included those related to real-estate, employment, and general county information.

Visitors to the chamber’s site were from all over the world.  The top states viewing the site include: New York, California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts, Florida, and New Jersey.

“People are utilizing the site for business and community information,” adds Membership Assistant, Andrea Brooks.  “Posting information on the event calendar regarding upcoming events, one-day sales and promotions is one more way to get the word out there about your business to the thousands of people that view the site.  I encourage everyone to add the site to their favorites and utilize this tool this summer.”

Visit the website at www.montgomerycountyny.com for more information on upcoming events, local businesses and other pertinent information regarding Montgomery County.