"The Chamber Door"

Greetings from the President

Dear Berkley,

I just want to start off by saying the chamber wishes everyone a very Happy New Year! 2007 was a tremendous year for the Chamber and the community of Berkley. Although it went by awfully fast there were many highlights to remember. First of all Berkley celebrated its 75th anniversary in May and had a wonderful turn out. Secondly, the Art Bash in June had the biggest artist turnout and was the most attended in the 7 year history of the event. The golf outing in September doubled in size in its second year. We were thrilled with the over 80 attendees at the Pub Crawl in October and look forward to it being bigger and better in 2008.  The Annual State of the City address introduced the new Superintendent Mike Simeck. The address also recognized Bridget Dean (Have You any Wool?) and Hiller’s Market as "Outstanding Business Person" and "Business" respectively for 2007. The holiday party at Amici’s was a rousing success to celebrate a great year and talk about the new one ahead. With all of our events set into place we really hope to launch more successful morning chats and evening mixers to the calendar. These will give a chance for a local business to learn more about the host business as well as enjoy the company and networking opportunities with other local business owners. This really could provide for a tighter referral network and ultimately more business opportunities. Please contact Julie Melrose (julie@berkleychamber.com) if you are interested in hosting.

2007 also saw the addition of a couple of new board members and the departure of a long time board member. Tom Byars (Eagle Rock Insurance) came on board this year and took the reigns at the treasurer’s position. He has provided valuable input and ideas for the innovation of our group. Eric Abrams (Fishbowl Marketing) came on board mid-year to fill the seat of board member Bill Springer, who left the Berkley Branch of National City.  Eric was integral in the success of the Pub Crawl and will continue to bring enthusiasm to the group during his 3 year term.  Dr. Dan Farkas (Farkas Chiropractic) just joined the board in December and will also provide a very candid point of view from a local small business owner. He takes the seat held by Ross Leonard who has been a long time Berkley resident as well as Chamber supporter. I know he will be missed as an advocate of Berkley and as a confidant. Please thank Ross for his years of service. 2007 also saw the addition of Julie Melrose as the Executive Director. She replaced Denise Seruga full time in June and has been an excellent addition. The day to day operations would not be done as efficiently or as passionately if Julie were not on board. I want to say thank you to all of the board members for the continued efforts to provide Berkley with innovative ideas and events.

With all of the successes and recognition given out in 2007 we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the continued partnership with the city and the DDA. We would also like to thank The Berkley Beautification Committee for their awesome efforts over the last couple of years. Their continued support of local business and a small town feel have really given Berkley a unique reputation in Metro Detroit. As always please feel free to contact the Chamber with any questions or concerns. We hope everyone has a prosperous 2008 and let’s make Berkley a destination for everyone in Metro Detroit!

Sincerely,

Kees Hiatt
Berkley Chamber President

Letter from Kees Hiatt - Chamber President

Dear Berkley,

I just want to start off by saying that I am truly proud to be a part of this city.  It has been over a year now since I have joined this very tight knit community.  As 2007 is getting of to a very fast start, I am embracing this new experience as an opportunity to help the business owners of the community. 

I am very excited for the path the Chamber of Commerce is starting to blaze  We are very fortunate to have a new Executive Director, Denise Seruga, who has an unbridled passion for the community.  Her diligent efforts in every facet of the job will prove to be an asset to the small businesses.  Along with Denise, the Chamber has a very dedicated Board that includes many small business owners.  You can see the excitement on their faces when we brainstorm new ideas to help drive new and more business store fronts.  I can assure all of the existing and prospective members of one thing - we care about Berkley businesses - period.

Stepping into this leadership role will not be an easy task.  I take the reigns from a long time Berkley Chamber Board Member and past President.  Chris Miller has been an instrumental part in the development and direction of where the Chamber is headed. I just want to say thank you to him and all of the other people that have helped to make the transition easy.

That said, I just want to reiterate how excited I am for 2007.  We have so many events and programs that define Berkley's character and that are annually celebrated.  The ArtBash and the Grub Crawl are two events that come to mind right away.  Also, this year marks the 75th anniversary of Berkley as a city.  In addition there is the CruiseFest and the Woodward Dream Cruise.  Those venues will attract a tremendous amount of people as well as give our businesses great exposure.  Last year we brought back the Chamber Golf Outing, which I am sure, will be self promoting from this point on.  Proving our loyalty to developing and driving business opportunities in 2006, we started a commercial that is locally broadcast on Comcast Cable.  Many of the business owners jumped at the opportunity to showcase their business.  Because of the success of these programs and the attraction they receive, we will continue to develop new and innovative ideas.  The "Chamber Chats" and "Berkley Blenders" are events that have just been created to allow local business owners to network and highlight their businesses.  The implementation of all of these programs will lead to a stronger referral network and will subsequently lead to more business traffic.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the collaborative efforts of the DDA and the Berkley Beautification Committee.   These two entities are totally dedicated to making Berkley a better place to work and live.  As you probably have noticed, the landscape of Berkley has changed dramatically in the last year.  It is our mission to provide an environment that people will want to come visit and covet to return.  The Berkley Chamber of Commerce will do everything in our power to make this the best place to do business in metro Detroit.

As always, your thoughts, ideas, and questions are always welcome. 

Have a wonderful, exciting 2007!

Sincerely,

Kees Hiatt, National City Bank

President

The Berkley Chamber of Commerce. 

Letter from the President

Fellow Chamber Members!

I hope everyone has had a successful year and is enjoying the holidays!

2006 has been an exciting year for the City of Berkley and for your Chamber! We made it through the hurricane of construction along 12 Mile Road and Coolidge; we welcomed several new businesses; we have seen many, many existing businesses make significant improvements to their offices and storefronts.  It’s a new day in town and a great time to be in Berkley!

This has also been a dynamic year for your Chamber as well!  Perhaps the most significant improvement your Chamber has made in 2006 is the hiring of an Executive Director.  We now have a person in place dedicated to running your Chamber on a daily basis, and ensuring we are doing all we can for our members.

This year we once again organized a highly successful Art Bash, participated in the Berkley Cruisefest activities, hosted the State of the City Luncheon and recently celebrated the season at our Holiday Party.  We even brought back the Chamber Golf Outing.  Look for these events and others to continue in the new year.

Your Chamber has also made significant effort to help and promote Berkley businesses.  We had unprecedented cooperation with our local counterparts, meeting regularly with the DDA, Berkley Beautification Cmte, and our partners at City Hall.  The results included timely and detailed communication on road construction projects, a spruced up Robina/ 12 Mile square, working with the contractors to keep road construction from interfering with the Art Bash and Cruisefest, and the Business-to-Business breakfasts.  I would be remiss to not thank Keith Logsdon (DDA) and Bridget Mahrle (BBC) for all their efforts!

Additionally, we are able to produce and air a television commercial (currently running on Comcast through May 2007) telling the world how great it is to live, work, and play in Berkley. Early feedback has been positive beyond expectations!

Like many Berkley businesses, your Chamber has also undergone a bit of a facelift!  We have a shiny new website (www.berkleychamber.com) that is as good as you will find.  It is essentially our ‘front door,’ and is a terrific resource for all things Berkley. And, as you are now reading, the “Chamber Door” e-newsletter has become our primary method of communicating with our members.  Keep an eye out for it in 2007 and you will always know what is happening with you Chamber and the city!

Looking ahead to 2007, you can expect a continued emphasis on communication with our members.  Beginning right away in January, we will be hosting events to get businesses together and discuss the issues facing us on a daily basis.  “Chamber Chats” will be morning coffees, and “Berkley Blenders” will be after hour’s events.   The agenda will be yours, and rest assured, your Chamber will be listening!  Keep an eye on your “Chamber Door” e-newsletter for more information!

Finally, as many of you know, I am stepping down as your President at year’s end, and our long-time director, Denise Calvert will be moving on as well.  Never fear. Your incoming President, Kees Hiatt (National City Bank) has actively served on our Board and is well positioned to lead your Chamber into the new year.  We also welcome Bridget Dean (Have you any wool?) and Tom Byars (Eagle Rock Insurance) as new Board members this year.

Speaking of leadership, we are incredibly fortunate to have Denise Seruga as our new Executive Director!  She has been working as co-director of the Chamber since June, and is full of new and exciting ideas to help your business.  We simply could not ask for a better person to run our Chamber.  And when Denise calls or stops by your business, please take a moment to tell what is on your mind and what you would like from your Chamber.

It has been my sincere privilege to serve as your President this year, and I wish each of you a healthy and prosperous 2007

Christopher Miller

GBCC President