The Pelham Chamber of Commerce launched a new membership drive last month for professionals who live in town but work either in New York City or Westchester County or from home. The goal of the program is to expand the Pelham business community.
With new membership, the chamber could tackle issues of interest to commuters and professionals in town. Such issues include the lack of parking near the train station and unpleasant noise levels that interfere with people trying to work from a home office. Until now, those issues have not been a priority for the chamber.
“We are trying to serve that group differently,” said Jim Lofgren, president of the Pelham Chamber of Commerce. “There are not a lot of opportunities available to network with other businesses in Westchester, so we hope to create a platform that can allow for this to happen.”
The chamber hopes that an infusion of new members will increase networking opportunities between business owners in Pelham and the wide range of professionals who live in town. “All of a sudden our business owners will get access to global or even international expertise,” Lofgren said.
As part of the broader mission, the Chamber also aims to promote more youth outreach. “With the expanded membership base, we will build a foundation to offer internships or shorter work assignments that weave business preparedness to our students and into our already thriving school system,” said Lofgren.
The chamber’s goal is to double its current membership over the next couple of years. In order to attract new recruits, it dropped its annual membership fee from $125 to $75 through the end of August.
“It’s always been our mission to make sure we have a thriving Pelham based around the entrepreneurs that live and operate here,” said Lofgren. “With this launch of the professional membership, we can provide a forum for those who don’t operate or own a business locally to influence what happens in Pelham.”
