We need resilience, not just recovery By Guy Occhiogrosso, president/CEO, Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce As I write this article, we are in the midst of our Toast of the Town: A Celebration of Community Resiliency video series. As we conducted the interviews and produced the videos, I was inspired by the many people doing [...]
2021 Economic Forecast & Profile In March 2021 as part of our annual Chamber Speaker Series sponsored by Puget Sound Energy, we hosted the WWU Center for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) to provide our 2021 Annual Economic Forecast. Dr Hart Hodges and James McCafferty spend 75 minutes with us discussing the nuances and data [...]
An open letter to our elected officials and our community ... A Business Case for 1590 As a chamber of commerce, we are not usually the first organization to support a tax, especially a new tax and one that could be a burden to businesses (as a collector in this scenario). In fact, I could [...]
Toast of the Town: Celebration of Community Resiliency Released: April 26, 2021 Toast of the Town: A Celebration of Community Resiliency video #15. Each year we award our Lifetime Achievement Award to a local community member who continuously contributed to our region. In the year of a pandemic, it is fitting to recognize Sue Sharpe [...]
One of my favorite publications of the year is from our friends at the League of Women Voters of Bellingham-Whatcom County. Each year they produce this great directory. It is provides contact and other important information of our county's government agencies and elected officials. Most of the time it is produced as a printed guide; [...]
Chamber convenes leaders to plan for the return of events It’s been a year without events in Whatcom County. More than 12 months ago, state and local governments began restricting local business and event operations to slow the spread of COVID-19. Aside from sporadic virtual gatherings, the county event industry has practically ceased to exist. [...]
In late November, Guy Occhiogrosso, President/CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce was named to the 2020 40 Under 40 for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). The honor was announced in the association’s quarterly publication, Chamber Executive Magazine. The annual recognition program showcases 40 of the industry’s top emerging leaders who [...]
2020 Whatcom County Candidate Virtual Forum - September 24, 2020 Thank you to everyone who joined us for our 2020 Whatcom County Candidate Virtual Forum. This virtual event was held on Thursday, September 24, 2020. It was done in partnership with the Associated General Contractors (AGC), Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, Building Industry Alliance of [...]
Press Release For more information, contact: David Webster, Director Opportunity Council – Dept. of Early Learning and Family Services david_webster@oppco.org Phone: 360.734.5121 ext. 364 Guy Occhiogrosso, President/CEO Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce guy@bellingham.com Phone: 360.734.1330 New Venture Strives to Repair Area’s Child Care Capacity Shortage Opportunity Council and the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce have [...]
Summer Event Cancellations - A Note from Guy Many organizations and entities are grieving the loss of events as we look forward to the summer season. We as the chamber are not immune to these feelings. The Whatcom County Health Department recently recommended the cancellation of large summer events that draw thousands of attendees. Each [...]
From the office of the President/CEO of Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, Guy Occhiogrosso Business Resources for COVID-19 To the business leaders in our Chamber network: Like many of you, the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce is closely following the updates regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus). As a resource, we wanted to provide you with a [...]
A few weeks ago, I had the great opportunity to volunteer for the Bellingham Schools Foundation Thing Big Student Club Challenge. The evening was a showcase of some of the best from our local high school students. The event gave these student clubs to flex their knowledge of sales and philanthropy. Each club gave their [...]
We are one week away from a major election for our community. It is a rare occasion where two of the top elected positions in our community will be each held by someone new. I would like to say thank you to Mayor Kelli Linville and Executive Jack Louws for your years of service beyond [...]
Washington State Chamber President visits the Bellingham Region Thursday afternoon, we were honored to host Kris Johnson, President/CEO of Association of Washington Business (AWB) for his “The State of Business in Washington State” speaking tour for the exclusive audience consisting of our Chairman’s Club members. AWB is Washington state’s chamber of commerce. As part of [...]
By: Guy Occhiogrosso This Monday morning we woke to the news of Hohl's - an iconic Bellingham downtown landmark. We were once again reminded of the fragility of business and community. There doesn't appear to be much info at this point, but honestly it wouldn't make the pain stop. Today we are mourning a loss [...]
by Guy Occhiogrosso If you’ve lived in Whatcom County, Washington, you know how our economy and businesses can be affected by the Canadian border. That’s the reason the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce has a Cross Border Committee. It’s important for cross border businesses, legislators, educators, and government to communicate and collaborate. The Cross Border [...]
The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce Cross Border Committee met on January 24th. One item of note was that it is increasingly harder to obtain qualified employees through the H1B VISA program. The results show some US companies are moving to Canada or opening offices in Canada to attract a highly qualified, diverse employees. Laurie [...]
Whatcalendar.com is back and better than ever. As many of you know (and probably experienced), this online community event calendar operated by the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce had some technical difficulties during the winter. The dual branded online tool serves our community as the largest online calendar dedicated to promoting both community and tourism-related [...]
Advocacy over coffee by Guy Occhiogrosso, Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO As your chamber of commerce, we regularly work for you advocating behind the scenes on community and policy issues. Once every quarter, I sit down with our Mayor of Bellingham. Our conversations are usually robust and lively and I certainly appreciate her [...]
The acronyms AirBNB and VRBO may not mean anything to you, but it certainly does to our local hoteliers and to some neighbors. With the introduction of so much technology at our finger tips, we now are equipped to take advantage of so many new opportunities. Some home owners are now offering rooms in their [...]
