MONTVALE—By the end of November, the Montvale Chamber of Commerce’s new website likely will featuring promotions, money-saving offers, and videos of shopkeepers and business owners showing you more reasons than ever to shop local.
“We do it 52 weeks per year: ‘Shop local’ is what we’re always about,” chamber co-president Scott Forman, of CrossCountry Mortgage—the Forman Team, told Pascack Press in introducing the updated and improved website.
Forman and Steven Fox, of Fox Wealth Management, have led the chamber since 2007.
Videos of local businesses will be featured on the chamber’s home page and updated regularly to keep visitors aware and interested in local shopping opportunities, said Forman.
He said the first videos would start appearing by early 2023 at montvalechamber.com, which also will serve updates on approximately 150 local businesses and shops that will be promoting their food, wares and services.
Forman said plans are to feature certain types of businesses every month and produce a short video on each of them. “This will give people more reason to shop locally. I think this could be huge and as you get to know the local businesses more, customers get to know what they offer.”
He predicted of the video profiles, “I think it’s really going to catch on” and said the site update is intended “to allow our members more interactive automation with their potential customers/clients.”
He said the chamber leadership was meeting imminently to go over future events. “Our next event will be a 2023 regional business kick-off in late January and the chamber will reveal more events for 2023 then, including another job fair, and feature speakers to talk about local or regional business trends and opportunities.”
Forman told Pascack Press that 65% of businesses in the chamber’s purview are in Montvale, with the remaining 35% are based nearby, from Rockland County towns such as Pearl River. Suffern and New City, and neighbors such as River Vale, Woodcliff Lake, Ramsey, and Hackensack.
“This will be one of the most robust, interesting and interactive chamber websites around,” Forman said. He said area residents should visit the site after Thanksgiving to give member businesses time to upload content, including brochures, pictures, and promotional events and offerings.
“We’re excited at what we’ve done with the website. We wanted it to go live for members as soon as we could because it offers so much more functionality and advantages for the members,” he said.
Forman said members can place promotions, coupons or special offers under the promotions tab and link to their own business website for visitors and potential customers.
He said one example might be a restaurant such as Fire & Oak in Montvale that can advertise a specific discount for appetizers and drinks in hopes of drawing in more daily customers.
He said about 25,000 professionals commute to and work in Montvale every day.
In addition to promotions, the new website allows local businesses to receive event invitations; find out about other nearby chamber events countywide or statewide; and allows residents/customers to contact businesses directly through the website.
Among resources on the site now is a notice touting the success of the 11th Annual Montvale Chamber/Wegmans Street Fair. “Thank you to all of our sponsors for another great Street Fair! Over 20,000 people attended with over 150 vendors!”
Forman said chamber membership costs $125 yearly.
Borough launched job fair in 2019
In October 2019, Larry Goldstein, director of human resources for Sharp Electronics Corp. on Paragon Drive, had advice for anyone adding job fairs and other career networking events to their job search arsenal:
“Don’t be shy. Mingle. Talk to as many human beings as you possibly can. Even if you’re not quite sure you’re interested in a job with a company you see, you never know where it’s going to go,” he said.
From his firm’s bustling table at the inaugural Montvale Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development and Retention Committee Job Fair, held Oct. 29, 2019 at the community center, Goldstein said it’s best to go in excited to get your name out.
“Shake everybody’s hand. Drop your résumé off everywhere. When you meet everybody in this room you get to meet not just the people here but the several thousand people they have back at their executive offices,” he said.
An estimated 500 job seekers, ranging from college seniors to middle managers to seasoned executives and consultants, turned out to the job fair bearing résumés, elevator pitches, and hopes for the future.
Then, of course, the pandemic struck.
For more, see “Borough looks to add job fairs after debut draws 500,” Pascack Press, Nov. 11, 2019.