Posts Tagged ‘chamber of commerce’
Cheshire County Proclaims October 21, 2026 Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day
Cheshire County Proclaims October 21, 2026 Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day
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The Cheshire County Board of Commissioners presented the Greater Monadnock Collaborative Regional Chamber of Commerce (GMC) with an official proclamation on October 21, 2026, recognizing Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day.
Signed by Commissioners Terry Clark, Claudia Stewart, and Skipper DiBernardo, the proclamation acknowledges the role chambers of commerce play in supporting economic prosperity, enhancing quality of life, connecting businesses and communities, and addressing shared challenges. It encourages Cheshire County residents to learn more about their local chamber and its impact, and to support local businesses.
The proclamation also recognizes GMC’s history, building on the longstanding Keene Chamber of Commerce and its subsequent merger with the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce in early 2021. The organization became the Greater Monadnock Collaborative Regional Chamber of Commerce in March 2023, serving businesses and communities throughout Cheshire County and the greater Monadnock Region.
GMC represents more than 450 member organizations with over 16,000 employees. Its work includes business advocacy, networking, leadership development, workforce attraction, and regional promotion.
With federal and state grant support, GMC has invested more than $700,000 in recent years to promote the Monadnock Region as a place to visit, live, work, and do business. This work includes a $240,000 workforce campaign developed with regional employers to connect job seekers with manufacturing opportunities and career pathways at Keene State College.
GMC connects the regional business community through more than 40 events annually, bringing together over 1,200 attendees, and through its nine-month Leadership Monadnock program, which has developed a network of more than 500 alumni since 1996. Alongside this work in networking and leadership development, GMC advocates for the business community on issues including workforce development, housing, higher education, tourism, and small business growth.
In recognition of Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day, GMC is inviting members to share how chamber involvement has supported their businesses, organizations, and professional development. Information about the observance, GMC’s 2025-2026 Impact Report, and resources for participating are available at: greatermonadnock.com/2026/10/20/october-21-support-your-local-chamber-of-commerce-day/
October 21 Is Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day!
October 21 Is Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day!
The Greater Monadnock Collaborative Regional Chamber of Commerce (GMC) connects businesses, develops leaders, promotes the Monadnock Region, and advocates for our regional business community.
On Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day, we invite you to explore that impact and share what being part of GMC has meant for you!
The Value of Chamber Involvement
In a 2024 national survey conducted by The Harris Poll for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, 81% of U.S. adults agreed that their local chamber is a trusted resource for businesses, and 77% agreed that their local chamber represents the collective voice of businesses in their community.
Your Membership Supports Regional Impact
GMC serves as both the regional chamber of commerce and the regional promotion organization for the 34 towns of New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region. Our more than 450 member organizations represent over 16,000 employees.
Your membership helps support:
- Regional promotion: With federal and state grant support, GMC has invested more than $700,000 in recent years to promote the region as a place to visit, live, work, and do business.
- Workforce attraction: A $240,000 campaign developed with regional employers connects job seekers with manufacturing opportunities and career pathways at Keene State College.
- Business connections: More than 40 events annually bring together over 1,200 attendees for networking, learning, and relationship building.
- Leadership development: Leadership Monadnock has developed a network of more than 500 alumni since 1996.
- Business advocacy: GMC represents the business community in discussions about workforce development, housing, higher education, tourism, and small business growth.
For a closer look at this work, read our full Impact Report.
Share Your Chamber Story
What has being part of GMC meant for you?
Perhaps you met a future customer at an event, found a resource through another member, developed leadership skills, gained visibility, or built a collaboration. Your experience helps show how chamber involvement creates opportunities for businesses, organizations, and individuals.
E-mail your story to Jessica, our Director of Marketing and Communications at jessica@greatermonadnock.com. Tell us what brought you to GMC, how you’ve been involved, and a connection or experience that has made a difference.
Help Spread the Word
Share your experience on social media for Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day! Save one of the images below to use with your post and personalize any of these suggested messages.
Celebrate Your Membership
It’s Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day! We’re proud to be a member of the Greater Monadnock Collaborative and part of a network supporting businesses and communities throughout the Monadnock Region. #SupportYourLocalChamber #ChambersChangeThings #GreaterMonadnockCollaborative
Tell Your Story
Through our involvement with the Greater Monadnock Collaborative, we’ve [share a connection, opportunity, or result]. On Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day, we’re celebrating the people and relationships that have helped us along the way! #SupportYourLocalChamber #ChambersChangeThings #GreaterMonadnockCollaborative
Invite Others to Join
We’re a member of the Greater Monadnock Collaborative because [share your reason]. Membership has helped us [describe the benefit]. We encourage other businesses and organizations to explore membership and get involved! #SupportYourLocalChamber #ChambersChangeThings #GreaterMonadnockCollaborative
Tag us when you post so we can see and share your story!
Introduce Someone to GMC
Know a business, nonprofit, or professional who could benefit from chamber involvement? Share your experience, invite them to an event, or introduce them to our team.
Each new member brings additional knowledge, relationships, and perspectives to our regional network.
When Storyteller Adam Wade Returned to Keene
When Storyteller Adam Wade Returned to Keene
May 19, 2026 | Jessica Johansson
Adam Wade has told this story many times.
He has shared it on stages in New York City and beyond, to audiences who have never set foot in New Hampshire, never walked across the Keene State campus on a late April afternoon, and never shared a heart-shaped pizza from Athens Pizza on Valentine's Day.
But recently, he came back to Keene to tell it, and something extraordinary happened.
Adam Wade is a 20-time Story Slam winner at The Moth and the creator of the #1 bestselling Audible Original audio memoir, "You Ought to Know Adam Wade." He is also a proud Keene State College alum and was one of the featured presenters at the inaugural Leadership Monadnock Summit presented by Eversource, held on April 24th at Keene Country Club.
In his storytelling special, Small Town Lover, Adam reflects on his years at Keene State College, including a memorable college date, the kindness he experienced at Athens Pizza, and mentor Bob Gunther, adviser to the Keene State College Film Society, a man with a remarkable claim to fame. The way Adam tells it, Bob was exactly the kind of person you hope to find when you are young and just figuring things out.
It is a story about place, about people, and about the unexpected ways a community shapes you. And it found its way back to where it began.
GMC President and CEO Julie Schoelzel had come across Adam's story and reached out earlier this year to invite him to speak at the GMC Annual Gala. The timing didn't work out then, but the Leadership Monadnock Summit finally brought him back.
During his storytelling session, Adam reached the part of the story about Bob Gunther, the unforgettable KSC Film Society adviser, and stopped to ask the audience if anyone knew him.
In a room filled with more than 100 community leaders from across the Monadnock Region, a voice answered. It was Marti Fiske, Director at Keene Public Library and a Leadership Monadnock alum. Bob Gunther was her uncle!
There was an audible reaction across the room as people took in the coincidence... a story Adam had told for years suddenly became something new.
At the end of his story, Adam received a standing ovation from the audience. Later, during his workshop session, he reflected on how stories evolve over time. He shared that from now on, the story would always include the moment the Greater Monadnock Collaborative brought him back to Keene to tell it, where he received a standing ovation... and unexpectedly met Bob Gunther's niece.
Stories evolve because people do. Communities do too.
And maybe that is the story beneath the story.
In the Monadnock Region, local businesses and institutions do more than serve a community. They become part of its stories.
Athens Pizza. Keene State College. The City of Keene, home to the Keene Public Library. All GMC members. All woven together in one story shared in one room on one April day.
Without these businesses, without these institutions, without the people who choose to invest in this region, there is no story.
This is what a connected community looks like.
We cannot wait to do it all again. Watch our calendar/social media for details on the 2nd Annual Leadership Monadnock Summit, coming in Spring 2027.
If you missed the Summit, you can watch Adam’s storytelling special here: Small Town Lover