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Connections
The newsletter for members and friends of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce
February 2012
Vol. 74, No. 6


  


859 Massachusetts Avenue  


Health Insurance News
Recently, the Massachusetts  Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE) was awarded the right to serve as a health insurance cooperative. As a member of MACCE, the CCC anticipates being able  to provide members with access to insurance plans with lower premiums, similar to the pricing that larger companies get through group purchasing. The soonest that plans may be available is early summer. We’ll continue to provide updates as this process moves forward.


Connect Via Social Media
Be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, circle us/+1 us on Google+ and join our LinkedIn group to stay connected with  the CCC!

Business Awards
We will soon be seeking nominations for the annual Excellence in Business Awards. Start thinking about the companies and organizations you believe make a difference in our community.

Event Discount
There’s a discount code for the April Networking Breakfast hidden somewhere in this newsletter. Can you find it? Note that this promotion cannot be combined with any other discounts and is valid for members only. 
               



Photo Caption: Cradles to Crayons Founder & CEO Lynn Margherio posed with some of the hats, gloves, scarves and more donated by generous CCC members at the annual Holiday BAHsh.


CCC activities & events planned for 2012
There’s always something going on at the CCC! We had an extremely active 2011 and all of our departments and committees are busy planning events and programs for the coming year.

Ambassadors
The Ambassadors, one of the CCC’s most active, largest and longest-standing committees, continue to represent the CCC on a number of levels. They welcome new members and work with existing members to actively engage them with the CCC. They participate in events such as Networking Breakfasts and help companies celebrate milestones like grand openings, anniversaries and ground-breakings.
Ambassador Chair Bob Folger of afr Furniture says, “Getting the members involved early on lays a great foundation for their future participation. Making sure they feel welcomed and part of the process from the beginning is vital.” For more information about the Ambassadors, contact Kelly Thompson Clark at ktclark@cambridgechamber.org.

Cambridge Young Professionals
The Cambridge Young Professionals (CYP), the CCC’s group for those under 35, had over 75 people in attendance at the sold-out October event in Tech Square. The steering committee planned their tentative dates and event topics at the December meeting, including their Cocktails & Connections event on January 19 at CCTV. They will be kicking off a mentor and advisor program in early 2012. Please contact Kelly Thompson Clark or Molly Cole for further information. Thank you to Amgen for sponsorship of 2012 Cambridge Young Professionals programming. To find out more about the CYPs, contact Staff Liaison Molly Cole at mcole@cambridgechamber.org. or (617) 876-4104.

Government Affairs
The Government Affairs Committee will open 2012 with Leaders 2012 on Wednesday January 25, 2012 at Le Meridian Cambridge. This event, held every other year to coincide with the new City Council term, brings together public officials and the business community. During the rest of the year we are planning programs with officials from the City of Cambridge and state and federal government. The GAC has two sponsors this year, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. and Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Thanks to our new sponsors as well as to Genzyme for their previous five years of sponsorship. For more information about Government Affairs, contact Director of Government Affairs Terrence Smith at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or (617) 876-4213.

Women in Business
The Women in Business Committee has a great docket set for the upcoming year. They will continue with their spotlight of women entrepreneurs and professionals that are leaders in their respective fields. The current plan includes a partnership with Microsoft on some Women in Technology programming. The group is also exploring the possibility of a conference in 2013. Thank you to Cambridge Trust Company for support of 2012 WIB programming.

High Tech & Science
The High Tech & Science Committee (HT&S) is back in full swing with a great group of events planned for 2012. The popular C³ (C-3) Tours are returning to provide you with a behind the scenes look into Cambridge’s cool companies. 2012 also welcomes the return of the Tech Tools Series, which provides webinars and classroom-style programming about the latest technology and social media tools you need to run your businesses. The HT&S ­committee is also looking forward to producing some speaker programs spotlighting the tech influence on arenas such as energy and healthcare.
The Committee is also planning an update to the online resource www.cambridgebiostart.org. This online tool is designed to assist biotech companies in navigating the ins and outs of rules & regulation, public health and any other necessary info they need in order to operate in Cambridge and the Commonwealth. The CCC is proud to partner with Comcast Business Services for our 2012 HT&S programming.

Communications
In 2011, we continued to publish this digital newsletter on a bi-monthly basis. We started a new column featuring member nonprofits. Plans are underway to expand our coverage in the coming year. Cost-effective advertising opportunities are still available. For more information, download an advertising form. Please also consider submitting an article on your area of expertise for publication (300 to 500 words) or a press release for the “Member News & Views” section. This is a great way to generate more exposure for your company. For more information, contact Lisa Cohen at lcohen@cambridgechamber.org.
In the coming year, we will be expanding our social media activity. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, add us to your circles on Google+ or join our LinkedIn Group. We’ll be using these avenues not only to communicate about CCC news and activities, as well as offer special promotions and contest, but also to share news from and about members like you. Make sure we’re on your press release list so we can distribute your news and that you follow us so we can follow you back. Send press releases to lcohen@cambridgechamber.org.

Membership/Sales
2011 ended on a strong note with over 30 new members joining the CCC between the months of September and December. There will be a new member orientation held in February, so new members, stay tuned for the date and details. We hope to start off 2012 with a strong January, adding some new companies to our growing list of over 1,550 members. Please contact the CCC’s Manager of Business Development Molly Cole at mcole@cambridgechamber.org or (617) 876-4104 if you know of any companies that might benefit from CCC membership. Current members are encouraged to bring potential members to upcoming events as guests. Ask Molly for details. 

As you can see, there’s so much to take part in—we hope to see you get more involved with the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce in 2012!

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