GRAND OPENING
Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce unveils new office
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. » The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, which facilitates dozens of ribbon cutting ceremonies each year, cut the ribbon for one of its own projects this week at the grand opening of its new Clifton Park office.
Headquartered in Saratoga Springs, the chamber recently expanded with a second office at 4 Emma Lane in the Emma
Lane Professional Park in Clifton Park.
“Leading the economic recovery of Saratoga County, we feel now more than ever that having two offices is the most effective and efficient way to be engaged in all of the communities across the entire County,” chamber president Todd Shimkus said of the expansion.
The 1,300-square-foot office, a sublease with law firm Wilcenski & Pleat, features three offices for chamber staff, a small conference room, a kitchenette and a restroom.
Chamber staff members such as executive vice president Denise Romeo and vice president of member services for Southern Saratoga County Liz Roggenbuck have lived in Clifton Park for decades and now work from the Clifton Park office daily, Shimkus said, noting that these representatives are accessible to help local businesses and nonprofits in Southern Saratoga County with whatever they need.
Lately, they have been delivering recovery kits to local businesses and helping the chamber secure photos of area businesses for social media promotions.
Furthermore, “They continue to organize virtual and hopefully soon in person meetings of our Twin Bridges Council which is open to any business in Southern Saratoga County and acts as a Board of Directors guiding us in taking action that will help the businesses, nonprofits and communities in Southern Saratoga County,” Shimkus said.
Additionally, local volunteers from national entrepreneurial mentorship organization SCORE are using the new office’s conference space to provide free, confidential advice to small businesses in Southern Saratoga County.
“This has been such a long time coming for us, and we could not be happier to have our satellite office here in Clifton Park,” Romeo said at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday. “We are just thrilled to be here.”
“We say every ribbon cutting is a celebration of a dream come true. Well, this is our dream coming true,” Shimkus said to attendees at the ceremony.
“We have an incredible staff - just unbelievable professionals - absolutely, totally committed to this community, every community within Saratoga County. We’re trying to lead the economic recovery, and we’re going to do a lot of that right out of this office right here. We’re committed to every single community in Saratoga County. We think today, this ribbon cutting, this office, the staff we’ve assigned here - shows that demonstration and that commitment,” he continued, reminding guests that all of the chamber’s recent efforts are focused on becoming stronger together in Saratoga County.
Clifton Park Councilwoman Amy Standaert welcomed the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce to the town.
“We’re really happy to have you guys here. Both Denise and Liz have been exceptional help [to] the Town of Clifton Park, helping us during the height of the pandemic,” Standaert said at the event, noting the support the chamber has given to local nonprofit organization CAPTAIN Community Human Services. “We are ready to get back to work, so this is an incredible experience.
“We are only going to be able to do that if we’re doing this together. We need to get Clifton Park back on track. A lot of our businesses have been struggling and are continuing to struggle. So we’re glad you’re here. We’re glad we have a strong partnership, and we’re glad we’re going to be working together and be stronger as a result.”
Currently, meetings are by appointment only in both the chamber’s Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park offices.
More information about the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is available online at www.saratoga.org.