2024 Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce Annual Report

As the year ends, we take a moment to look back at the tremendous progress and many accomplishments we’ve achieved in 2024 together. Truly, we could not look ahead to 2025 nor celebrate this past year’s successes without the incredible support of each and every one of our members. On behalf of our Chamber’s Board of Directors and staff, I want to thank all our members for their investment in the Chamber. Your support through membership not only provides your business with unique benefits but also allows the Chamber to accomplish its mission to be the voice of business through advocacy, building connections and professional development. We look forward to the coming year as we continue to positively impact our business community.

MEMBERSHIP

2024 showed great growth in our membership network.  In 2023, we focused on fine-tuning the efforts put forth in 2022 to bring back in person programming, and this has helped the member network flourish. Our in-person events have been bringing more members together than in years past, helping our active business community generate new connections while simultaneously fostering existing relationships. This leads to more well-deserved visibility and growth in the Greater Nashua community, while increasing the value in Chamber membership. From a number’s standpoint, GNCC is approaching 500 member businesses. Breaking it down even further, 75% of our members are small businesses, much like the ones our city was built upon. Additionally, we have 91 non-profit and service organizations comprising 20% of our membership. We pride ourselves on this because it equates to tens of thousands of individuals from a diverse group of industries and organizations having a common connection. From trades to cyber security, to childcare our membership network is expanding not just according to numbers, but industries represented. We look forward to 2025, by continuing to provide our members with enhanced and relevant benefits and to make sure we are continuing to touch base to ensure everyone is making the most of their membership.

 

ADVOCACY

The 2024 legislative year was a mixed bag for Chamber Advocacy with some wins and some almost wins, but at the end of the day those did not make it across the home plate. Each year the Advocacy Committee sets priorities, and this year saw the familiar issues of access to affordable housing, affordable childcare, a ready workforce, reducing taxes and opposing burdensome employment regulations.  Also in the mix are the perpetual goals of reducing energy cost, and securing passenger rail for NH’s southern corridor. Despite last year’s investments in workforce housing, many 2024 bills that would have impacted housing availability, died to the threat of interfering with local control.  Perhaps compromises can be found in the upcoming legislative session, as housing has a major impact on economic viability.

Affordable childcare had some success with an expansion of those eligible for the Child Care Scholarship program and an appropriation toward a childcare workforce recruitment and retention pilot.  A successful bill to loosen some zoning regulations will make home based childcare easier. The committee responsible for siting new energy sources was reformed; bringing efficiency to the siting process is a vital step in attracting a diversity of energy sources.

A small victory for the health care workforce expanded the availability of Community Health Workers (CHWs) which will free up other professionals in a workforce that has suffered from a lack of qualified people. On the tax bill front, typically there are few that pass in a non-budget year as legislators are reluctant to do anything that may impact revenues for the next biennial budget.  Our advocacy was able to stop bills that interfered with an employer’s ability to decide the best course for their business such as mandating a four-day work week, increasing the state’s minimum wage, prohibiting the use of polygraph in hiring.  Not successful were bills to increase the allowable deduction for depreciation and increasing the “safe harbor” threshold for compensation. Finally, a bill to prohibit any state dollars going to passenger rail was successfully pushed aside but will chug along to be back next year.

 

CHAMBER PROGRAMS

Over the past year, the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) has seen significant growth and engagement across its programs. Our monthly Out of the Box Lunch series consistently reaches capacity at 24 participants, often with a waitlist. Business Education has expanded from quarterly to monthly, covering topics like Soft Skills, Managing Employees in Crisis, and Business Etiquette. Attendance has surged from 5-10 participants to 25-35 per session. The GNCC Referral Networking Groups returned this year with one in full swing and wait lists for two additional groups that will kick off in 2025. The Greater Nashua Young Professionals (GNYP) rebranded in 2023, has seen monthly social attendance rise from 5-10 to 40+. In addition to networking, we re-introduced quarterly educational panels and wellness events (THRIVE). Our Jingle Mingle Mixer holiday event, co-hosted with the GMSVCC YPN, drew over 80 attendees, with proceeds benefiting a local nonprofit. This year’s JMM theme is “Sleigh, Majesty” and it’s sure to sell out again. Tickets are now available!

Leadership Greater Nashua continues to thrive, with the 2025 class marking 30 years of the program. It features 35 participants from nonprofits, small businesses, and local government, covering critical topics like economic development, education, and healthcare. Lastly, our Chamber Chats radio program/podcast launched, airing bi-weekly and highlighting two member organizations per episode. With live broadcasts and social media promotion, it has quickly become a popular platform, now accepting submissions for Spring 2025 episodes.

 

2024 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS  

In addition to our monthly networking events like Business After Hours, Young Professionals Socials, Out-of-the-Box Lunches, and Coffee Connections, 2024 was an active year for our Signature events at the Greater Nashua Chamber. In January, we kicked off the year with our Economic Outlook-Legislative Kickoff breakfast. February saw the return of our popular 8th Annual Indoor Mini-Golf Tournament. In March, we held the State of the City Lunch featuring Mayor Jim Donchess. As bills in the NH Legislature “crossed over” in April, we organized our annual Crossover reception, bringing together legislators and members of the business community. May was highlighted by our 21st Annual Eminence Business Awards Luncheon, themed “KEY to SUCCESS,” with keynote speaker Randy Pierce, President & CEO of Future in Sight. Late May marked the graduation of our 29th Leadership Greater Nashua class, which included 32 participants. In June, we hosted our annual State of the State lunch with Governor Chris Sununu. In August, in collaboration with WSMN 1590AM and 95.3 FM, we launched our 2024 “Meet the Candidates” radio series, featuring candidates from the NH Gubernatorial race, NH Senate Districts 11, 12, 13, and 14, Executive Council District 5, and U.S. Congressional District 2.September was especially eventful, as we hosted the first NH Gubernatorial debate featuring Senator Kelly Ayotte (R), Mayor Joyce Craig (D), and Stephen Villee (L), which was live-streamed in partnership with Nashua Public Television. We also proudly kicked off the 30th year of our Leadership Greater Nashua program, welcoming a record 36 participants! As we conclude the year, we look forward to celebrating our 96th Annual Gala and Citizen of the Year event—“The Blue Box Gala”—on November 6th, and will wrap up 2024 with our annual holiday Business After Hours at the Nashua Center for the Arts in December.

Respectfully submitted, Wendy Hunt, President & CEO-  November 6, 2024

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