Paul Szmal: Time to check in with Jared Pierce from the FLX Chamber. Morning.
Guest: Morning. How are we doing today?
Paul Szmal: Doing well. Doing well. Beautiful day today.
Guest: Yeah, seriously.
Paul Szmal: All right. You've had, you guys have had a lot going on here in the past couple of weeks. Just coming off the most recent Business After Hours. This one was down at the Hampton Inn and Seasons on Keuka Lake. So how was that?
Guest: It was, it was amazing. Luckily the weather held out for us and that is a beautiful property right on Keuka Lake. Great turnout. We got to tour like the hotel, the conference space, some of the amenities, and then we got complimentary drinks at Breezes, their in-house bar.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Bar and restaurant. Yeah. That's the one that's got, what do they got above the bar? I've been in there before. Or no, I'm thinking of somewhere else. Never mind. I'm thinking of a place down the street that's got like a, I don't know, a boat or something over top of it.
Guest: Yeah. Yeah. Must be someplace else.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. But Seasons is a nice space. I have been in there before.
Guest: Yeah. Yeah. Real beautiful property.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Excellent. So we're coming up on the August Business After Hours and we're going to be back home again, so to speak, in Geneva for this one.
Guest: Yep. We're going to be at the Boys and Girls Club in Geneva, their Carter Road location. That's going to be August 12th from four to six. You can RSVP by emailing us.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. The Boys and Girls Club is a more newer client, but they've done a lot for us in the past few years.
Guest: Yeah. And that place has been an institution quite literally in Geneva for a long time now.
Paul Szmal: Absolutely. Especially with the things they're doing now, food and like toddler time.
Guest: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Every time Stephanie comes in, it's like, oh, we got something new going on. That's like, you know, God bless. That's wonderful that they're able to keep going and provide the services that they provide.
Paul Szmal: So if you're unfamiliar with it, this is a good opportunity to go check out what they're all about and what they do.
Guest: 100%. Yeah. Including those food distribution drives that you were talking about.
Paul Szmal: Yep. We'll actually be in the pavilion where they're doing those food distribution drives.
Guest: Yeah. Well, that's one of the new things they added there was they added that pavilion, which I believe they named for Geneva town supervisor, Mark Venuti, if memory serves me correctly. He's a friend of the show, obviously.
Paul Szmal: So we have that going on. And then later in the month of August, there is a return of the lunch and learn program.
Guest: Yeah. So we're going to have Dominguez marketing back with us. He's he's done it in the past when we first launched the program, but given all the changes to SEO and AI and all that, he's coming back and the topic is going to be getting found in 2026 SEO, AI search, and what what's actually working. Mark is who built our website and we, we stand by him 100%. We actually just found out recently that because of the good work that he does, we are like the first result that comes up. If you search for Finger Lakes business directory in both Google and the AI of Google.
Paul Szmal: So yeah, there you go. Well, and that's what it's all about is being at the top of that search when, when people are looking for a product or a service. So this is definitely a good one to attend. Again, this is August 27th. That's going to be at the chamber office in Geneva.
Guest: Yup. 1230 to 1 30 PM, 12 to 1 30 PM. And a pre-registration for that pre-registration for that. You can call us or email info at flxchamber.com.
Paul Szmal: Jared Pierce is here from the FLX chamber here on Finger Lakes news radio. All right. We're going to give an early call out for this because this is one of the biggest events of the year for the FLX chamber, the member harvest celebration. We have a date, we have a location.
Guest: Yep. So it's going to be September 24th from 5 30 PM to 8 30 PM. And it's going to be at climbing vines in Penn. We're going to have a band, silent auction, drinks, catering. Um, it's kind of our chance to showcase some of the restaurants, breweries, wineries, that sort of thing. Um, tickets and sponsorships are going to be available soon. Um, and you can learn more about that by calling the office.
Paul Szmal: Now you guys had it there last year, right?
Guest: Yes.
Paul Szmal: Okay. Cause I, yeah. Cause I remember Miranda talking about it. Cause they did like a whole kids thing, kids area and everything there. I think for the first time.
Guest: Yes. And it was actually the boys and girls club that ran that. Um, and that will be coming back again.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. I remember cause she said it was a big hit with people because they could bring their kids and the kids got to go play, have a good time. The adults got to do, you know, some networking and hanging out and enjoying some food and beverage. So yeah, it's a win-win all the way around for that one.
Guest: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
Paul Szmal: Okay. So you guys have been growing just a little bit, just a little bit now for new members since the last time we talked, that's pretty impressive.
Guest: Yeah. Miranda and I have been really on a sales kick this summer with a growing region, you know, growing membership base. We've been expanding farther and farther to some different places. So yeah. And the new businesses represent a variety of what's going on here in the Finger Lakes. So let's talk about the new members that we've got here.
Paul Szmal: Yeah.
Guest: So we have a rock emergency services. They're headquartered in Rochester and they are professional emergency restoration and environmental remediation service. Uh, I imagine they've probably been busy, like with all the stuff going on in Victor and everything. Uh, next up we have majestic Hills golf course. It's a nine Hill, nine hole public golf course in Naples. Um, I think it's in the second generation of leadership. I haven't had a chance to play that one yet.
Paul Szmal: I haven't either, but we're excited. I mean, we always love getting a new golf course might be able to showcase it at some point. Of course, my clubs have been sitting in the server room here at the radio station for about two and a half years. So I was like, you haven't gotten a game in a while.
Guest: No, no. I probably couldn't hit the ball straight if I tried right now, but I definitely go check out a, I mean, a nine hole course. You know, it's like if you don't have a lot of time, but you still want to get around in, you know, doing a nine hole course, that's perfect.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Yeah. 100%.
Guest: Um, next up we have empire state commercial roofing. They are commercial roofing contractor. They kind of do work all over the Finger Lakes in New York state. Um, and he actually recently completed work on our office building one Franklin square. Um, so that was an exciting thing.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And there's a, there's one more here that comes out of the agricultural world.
Guest: Yup. Uh, Champlain Valley, uh, equipment. It's a farm lawn and garden light construction equipment dealer from Vermont with three locations in the Finger Lakes.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Yeah. They, um, they took over what used to be something out where it's empire.
Guest: Yes. Yeah. Empire tractor.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Yeah. Cause, uh, they've, uh, I remember they've actually advertised with us too for, for a couple of those locations. They are growing here.
Guest: Yeah. And of course, you know, we've got so much agriculture happening across the region, uh, that, you know, having that kind of infusion of that kind of a business that does everything from farm equipment down to, you know, house, uh, you know, house maintenance equipment, you know, push mowers, riding mowers, zero turn mowers, that kind of stuff. That's a good deal.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Great. Well, it's great to have all these new members coming in. And I think that's a Testament to the fact that what y'all do works.
Guest: Yeah. Yeah. We like to think so.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. All right. Well, let's give a shout out as we always do to the annual partners that, uh, have been, uh, members either for a while or for a good long time.
Guest: Yeah. Um, so thank you to Canada National Bank, Casella Waste Services, Community Broadband Networks, Emerson Commercial Cleaning, ESL Federal Credit Union, Fairfield by Marriott, Finger Lakes Partners Insurance, Four Winds Chimney, Guardian Glass, Halco Home Solutions, HEP Sales and North Main Lumber, Lakeside Roofing and Siding Materials, Massa Construction, Enhance the Finger Lakes, Reliant Credit Union, and Waterloo Container.
Paul Szmal: And just to recap a couple of the events coming up, the next Business After Hours mixer, Boys and Girls Club of Geneva, Carter Road location, that's August 12th. The Lunch and Learn Seminar with Mark Dominguez from Dominguez Marketing is August 27th. That'll be at the Chamber Office in Geneva. And then save the date for the Member Harvest Celebration. Once again, a Climbing Binds in Pena, right off Route 14. Uh, that'll be September the 24th and hopefully next month we'll have an announcement on maybe the entertainment tickets, that sort of.
Guest: Yeah. Yeah. And if you want to be a sponsor of that event, shameless plug, you can contact the Chamber Office, info at flxchamber.com.
Paul Szmal: All right. Much appreciated, man. As always, good to see you.
Guest: Good to see you. Thank you.
