WHAV (https://whav.net/category/business/)
Area chambers of commerce are getting together for a free, joint networking event in June. Members of the Greater Haverhill and Merrimack Valley Chambers join Beverly, Cape Ann and Salem for appetizers, conversation and mingling with Endicott College and Misselwood staff Wednesday, June 12, 5-7 p.m., at Misselwood Events at Endicott College, 407 Hale St., Beverly. Registration takes place online here. There is a registration link within this story at WHAV.net.
Haverhill’s John Greenleaf Whittier School students will enjoy a variety of end of school year activities thanks to a donation from Covanta. Teacher Barbara Greenwood said graduating eighth graders will enjoy a promotion ceremony with food, music, a photo booth, decorations and favors. Covanta’s donation also helps children whose families cannot afford for the end of the year field trip to Canobie Lake Park and provides scholarships for field trips to the Museum of Science and Blue Man Group. “Teachers have worked tirelessly to raise money throughout the year, but needed that extra boost to make it happen,” Greenwood said. “We are so very appreciative of Covanta’s continuous support of our school community.”
The money also enables seventh grade students to take their first trip in more than five years to STEM day and also attend the New Hampshire Fisher Cats ball game.
Those who entered a lottery to live in one of 48 new affordable apartments at Bethany Community Services’ Merrimack Corner will be notified by mail of their ranking following a drawing this past Wednesday. Eligible applicants will be matched with an available apartment that meets their criteria. The drawing took place in public at the Haverhill Public Library with participation by Mayor Melinda E. Barrett. In total 252 eligible applications were drawn and each was assigned a number. Once the 48 units are filled, all remaining applicants will be included on the wait list for future openings.
Merrimack Valley Credit Union was included in Banker & Tradesman and The Registry Review’s Top Lenders of 2023, marking the first time the credit union has been featured on these lists. In Massachusetts rankings, the credit union was ninth for volume of single-family mortgages and 10th for number of loans, seventh for volume of loans and eighth for number of condominium mortgages, seventh for volume of residential nonpurchase loans, 10th for volume and eighth for number of commercial purchase loans and fourth for volume of loans and fourth for number of multifamily purchase loans. In New Hampshire rankings, Merrimack Valley Credit Union was 10th for volume and ninth for number of single-family mortgages and 10th for volume and eighth for number of condominium mortgages. Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Brad Egan credited the accomplishments to the credit union’s professionals. “Looking forward, we will be launching exciting new products and continue investing in technology to improve the speed and convenience of obtaining loans,” he added.
To submit Business Bulletin announcements, click on image. Downey Law Group, with offices in Haverhill and Topsfield, is planning a free document shredding and food drive. “Shred it with DLG Day” takes place Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to noon, at its main office at 462 Boston St., Topsfield. In return for shredding, Downey Law Group asks residents to bring canned goods, cereals, pasta, juice drinks or diapers or give a $25 to $100 Market Basket gift card. All food and gift cards will be distributed to food pantries in Haverhill, Ipswich and surrounding communities. “This is a great opportunity to shred confidential documents and give back to those in need of help with basics we sometimes take for granted, like food.
The superintendents of Whittier Regional Vocational Technical and Greater Lawrence Technical Schools are scheduled to address education and workforce development at a forum this month by the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce. Whittier Tech Superintendent Maureen Lynch and Greater Lawrence Tech Superintendent John Lavoie discuss what business leaders need to know about vocational jobs and trades during the breakfast forum Friday, April 26, from 7:30-9 a.m., at Edwards Vacuum, 20 Creek Brook Drive, off Route 97, in Haverhill. Admission for members is $10 and non-members, $20, and may be reserved online at MerrimackValleyChamber.com or by calling 978-686-0900.
CNA Stores of Haverhill and Amesbury has named the Pan-Mass Challenge as its April Charity of the Month, continuing to demonstrate, what the company says, the “spirit of giving and support” by the cannabis community. Pan-Mass Challenge is an organization that CNA Stores owner and CEO “Rob DiFazio, his family, and a close-knit group of local friends have passionately supported for nearly a decade.” The Challenge’s bike-a-thon is the biggest athletic fundraiser for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. CNA Director of Business Development and Community Outreach Scott Winters, who has been a cannabis advocate since 2015, draws a parallel between the company’s charitable impact and a time when people “expressed concerns about the potential impact of cannabis stores.” Winters says he “consistently emphasized to his neighbors and community members that these individuals were not only valued members of society but also respected contributors to communities across the state.”
Through the Charity Jar program, CNA Stores’ customers have donated approximately $347,295 since late 2020, not counting contributions CNA itself has made to various local nonprofits or its roughly 2,500 hours of community service. In February, for example, CNA customers rallied behind L’Arche Boston North, which houses individuals with developmental disabilities, with $12,224 in donations. Likewise, in March, nearly $11,000 was raised for Mass Fallen Heroes, an initiative supporting veterans and their families.
Tickets are now available for the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce’s 26th annual Winning Opportunities for Women conference next month. Speakers include Amber Farley, educator, consultant and thought leader and partner and executive vice president of brand development at FMS; Michelle Saunders, a certified trainer involved with the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance assessment, which is a global professional personality development program; and Ilhianna Rojas of BeLIVE Coaching and Consulting. Farley speaks to “10 Myths Debunked: How to Inspire, Empower and Get Things Done;” while Saunders addresses “The Guiding Force of Self Awareness” and Rojas offers tips on how to “Cultivate Your Legacy Story.”
Early bird admission of $189 per person is available until Friday, April 5, and $209 thereafter, and ticket may be purchased online here. As WHAV previously reported, Chamber President and CEO Alex Eberhardt said the conference—called WOW, for short—is expected to draw more than 200 people and feature speakers discussing professional and personal development. Speaking on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast,” Eberhardt said this year’s venue takes place Friday, April 26, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at The Vault, owned by Wendy Estrella, 238 Essex St., Lawrence.at The Vault at Lawrence
Admission includes a continental breakfast and full lunch.
Small business owners from around Massachusetts are making plans to attend the annual National Small Business Week Awards ceremony, which is coming this year to the Merrimack Valley. This year, Merrimack Valley Chamber member Stephanie Vanderbilt, owner of Coastal Windows and Exteriors in Beverly will receive the Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year award, earning her an invitation to the White House with other winners from around the country. The awards breakfast is being hosted by the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Vice President Michael Bevilacqua spelled out the details this week on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program. “There will be businesses coming in from all across Massachusetts. We have the Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao will be attending as well.