The Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce will be heard from today.

​This is my first report and I will start by expressing my gratitude and appreciation for the professional relationship I have had with Ginanne Italiano.  For years, Ginanne has inspired me to learn, engage and advance my own career and I couldn’t be more pleased to have been named the new President and CEO of the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce.  Ginanne will be missed in the day-to-day operations, but has graciously accepted a new role to help us through the 2021 legislative session representing the Chamber’s advocacy initiatives.

The world has changed dramatically over the past 9 months, and your Chamber will be launching new benefits designed to directly assist you and the community as we continue to stay relevant in these uncertain times.
​
It's a brand-new day for the Chamber and I’m thrilled that you are here with us.

As the year wraps up and we turn our attention to family, I wanted to send a note of thanks to and FOR each of you.
 
As I reflect on this past year, I can list a million challenges that we had to face.  COVID!!! Job losses; restaurant closings; business losses; children in school, not in school, in virtual school; families separated; the discrimination; the craziness of the election; the loss of loved ones…. The list goes on and on. It is 2020 after all!
 
But, as I watched my children excitedly flip the countdown calendar to Santa’s arrival, I realized that so much good has come out of this year. It would take far too long for me to list it all, but there are a few things that I want to bring to your attention.
 

 Guest Blog by Suzanne Coyle, MA, CCC-SLP, Executive Director, Stroke Comeback Center
​ 
Did you know that immediate medical attention is critical when someone is having a stroke? Knowing the signs of stroke and getting immediate treatment may minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death. Learn the warning signs of stroke with the acronym F.A.S.T.

Guest Blog by Julie Schumacher, Sasse Agency 

As we now look forward to 2021, businesses and organizations are thinking about how to build stronger relationships and stay connected with their clients and customers. The coming year promises to be one of great change and there is no time like right now to begin developing strategies that will drive success all year long. Highlighted here are four marketing trends for 2021 that, when integrated into your marketing plan, can boost your company’s brand, increase new interest in your products and services, and keep your clients connected and well informed.

Guest Blog by Stephanie D. Katz, Founder & President, CETA Benefit Consulting Group, LLC
 
2020 has been a challenging and stressful year! At the start of the year, there was excitement for the beginning of the new decade. In fact, people were saying it would be the year of clarity and 20/20 vision. Although it may not have been the type of vision or clarity we might have wanted or even expected, it did bring to light key trends and issues in HR and Benefits.

Many organizations had for years thought that their business could not operate with a large remote workforce. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 7% of U.S. workers had access to a flexible workplace benefit or telework before COVID-19. Then, almost overnight, remote or virtual work became a reality, and HR became an even more critical function. So, what have we learned as a result?

​The Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce is pleased and excited to announce that after an extensive interview process, Allie Williams, IOM, has been named President/CEO.
 
Williams brings more than 20 years’ experience as an association executive spending time at the helm of the Title VII Administrators Association (VIIAA), Corporate Responsibility Association (CRA), Director of Organizational Development at the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and Director of the Office of Chamber of Commerce Relations at the United States Chamber of Commerce. 

Guest Blog by Brandan Stuckey, Bethesda Transportation Solutions

I’m not sure how we entered a space where the same few platitudes are thrown about, seemingly every other sentence. Counting how many times you see words like normalize, robust, engage, or deliverables, used in our corporate lexicon can lead to the most intense interoffice game of bingo this side of Cordell Ave. Words, are powerful. Words have meaning. Words have impact. And there’s nothing more impactful than hearing vibrancy in the context of downtown. Vibrancy is often used when speaking of outdoor spaces. However, its usage must become more than the latest platitude; Vibrancy has to become a call to action. For instance, Bethesda Urban Partnership answered the call to help by creating the Streetery, a broad collaborative effort to sustain businesses during the pandemic. That’s Vibrancy.

Guest Blog by Joseph S. Barone, Network Bethesda

A recent Office Depot/OfficeMax Survey of over 1000 employees in the US asked the question:  How can employers better introduce new technologies?  
Here is how they responded:

• Provide more training (69%)
• Provide more IT support staff (44%)
• Increase the amount of time to adapt to new technologies (36%)
• Introduce new technologies less frequently (16%)
• Introduce fewer technologies overall (12%).

Although there is much to unpack here, with each of these, I want to take a little time on the first response: Provide more training.
 ​