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2025: A Busy Year for Connections and Collaboration for the ARCC

Written by Amanda Blanton on . Posted in 2025, ARCC Spotlight, Business, Community, Featured, Newspaper, November.

Upon reflection, 2025 was a year of connections and collaboration for members of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and the greater business community. This year saw an impressive number of council & committee meetings, a variety of networking events, and collaboration opportunities among businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Rounding out a year’s worth of networking mixers, the ARCC Business Expo really stood out as one of the most exciting networking events of the year. With over 80 exhibitors packed into The Queensbury Hotel in downtown Glens Falls, this event offered opportunities for discovery & connections in a short 3-hour event. Some attendees remarked that they made more connections at this event than they had all year long. 

While a high energy, jam-packed event may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the ARCC offers small intimate networking opportunities like ribbon cuttings. The Adirondack Chamber hosted over 30 ribbon cuttings in 2025, with a handful co-hosted with neighboring chambers. What makes ribbon cuttings excellent opportunities for networking are the thoughtfully curated timeframes, variety of businesses present, and opportunities for making quality connections. 

Over the years, the ARCC has built councils and committees that bring true value to the entire membership which extends into the greater business community. The Ambassador committee serves as an extension of the Chamber staff, volunteering countless hours to represent the Chamber, welcoming new members, facilitating connections, and more. If you’ve been to an ARCC event, you have undoubtedly been welcomed and interacted with an Ambassador. Their commitment and dedication to serving the Chamber membership, and greater business community is evident in everything they do.

The Adirondack Nonprofit Business Council (ANBC) with roots dating back to 2013 was originally created to provide a forum for peer-to-peer interaction, facilitate programs that strengthen the nonprofit community, and promote the impact of the nonprofit sector of our region. Currently the monthly Nonprofit Chats have provided nonprofit organizations with the opportunity to connect on challenges and share resources. Each organization faces its own unique challenges, and often another organization holds the key to addressing them. Bringing these groups together reveals valuable opportunities for collaboration. 

The Women’s Business Council (WBC) has seen some incredible growth over the past year, with the group brainstorming unique panel discussions, presentations, and exercises for attendees. A benefit to attending these meetings is variety of discussion topics, coupled with ample time for networking. To further these connection opportunities, the WBC partnered with the women in business groups of the Lake George Regional Chamber and Bolton Landing Chamber to host a mixer at Wiawaka on Lake George. Plans for the group’s annual summit event (which is open to everyone) are already underway for 2026.

The newest of the ARCC councils is the Veterans Business Network (VBN), established in 2021. This group is always pivoting to establish the wants and needs of our Veterans in business. From educational opportunities to networking, the leadership team of this council has been fine-tuning their mission and initiatives. In 2025, the VBN hosted their 5th annual Walk for Veteran and First Responder Suicide Awareness on a beautiful September afternoon in Glens Falls City Park. Community members, Veterans, First Responders, family & friends gathered in the park for remarks, reflections, and then a 22-minute walk around downtown Glens Falls to raise awareness on suicide among Veterans and First Responders. It was a powerful display of support and recognition for those that so unselfishly give so much to our communities and country.

The ARCC also facilitates a Workplace Health & Wellness Council made up of Chamber members who have an enthusiasm for incorporating health and wellness practices into the workplace. A new addition to this year’s initiatives included a Community Wellness Chat which invited attendees to participate in a roundtable discussion on a wellness topic. Encouraging wellness professionals to share their insights and offerings, while allowing attendees to ask questions made for a real well-rounded experience. The plan is to host these chats every other month next year.With so many ways to connect and collaborate, the ARCC welcomes you to join us in the new year to take advantage of these opportunities to grow your business. What’s coming up in 2026? The ARCC is bringing back our Leadership Adirondack program for 2026-27 and introducing a new council! Stay tuned to the Chamber’s website for details: www.adirondackchamber.org.