Private Services for Businesses

Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce
(413) 534-3376
www.holyokechamber.com

Doris M. Ransford, President
Hector Diaz, Program Director, Holyoke Employment Partnership
Emily Fox, Tutor-Mentor, Program Coordinator
Michael Ginley, Membership Coordinator
Lesley Kelly, Financial Manager
Wanda Zabawa, Event Planner
Philip McDonald, Coordinator, BayState Works Program
Wendi Carman, Instructor, Juntos Distance Learning Project

With a comprehensive package of programs and services, the Chamber is a resource for businesses of all sizes and categories throughout the region. Its strengths are in Workforce Development, Governmental Affairs, Business Development and Networking, Tourism Promotion, and in creating partnerships between the business community and other sectors.

Notable among those partnerships is the Holyoke Employment Partnership, a public-private collaboration founded in 1987 by the Chamber and the City of Holyoke to initiate, strengthen, and coordinate workforce development efforts in Greater Holyoke. The Partnership, one of the founding partners of CareerPoint, was also the lead organization in the competitive quest for that one-stop center, now a national award-winner and model. CareerPoint opened in 1996 and is operated as a non-profit, community-based corporation providing services to both employers and job-seekers in Holyoke and throughout Hampden County. Working Knowledge, another Partnership program, is a workplace education and training program that is part of a national initiative sponsored by the U. S. Chamber of Commerce and has received funding from the Ford Foundation, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Holyoke, and the U. S. Department of Labor.

Among the many other business services provided by the Chamber is the Commerce Show, annual business exhibition co-produced with the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce and held at the Eastern States Exposition. It is the flagship of the Chamber's extensive business development programs that include table-top expos, monthly networking events, business recognition programs, seminars and roundtables, and customer referrals.

A more specialized service is the Façade Improvement Program, which provides financial incentives to property owners for improving commercial buildings within designated areas of the city. The program is funded by a Community Development Block Grant and overseen by the Holyoke Office of Community Development.

Chamber staff members are available at all times to explain services designed to meet the needs of area employers.

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CareerPoint—One-Stop Career Center
(413) 532-4900

www.careerpointma.org

David Gadaire, Executive Director
Naomi Klayman, Director of Development
Barbara Raines, Director of Administration and Finance
Doris Mundo, Supervisor of Counseling

One-Stop Career Center providing workforce and economic development services to the business community and job seekers throughout Western Massachusetts.

Services for employees

• Internet Job Postings
• Screening and Testing of Applicants
• Computer Skills Training
• Customized Workforce Retention Skill Building and Strategies
• Pre-employment Training
• Labor Market and Tax Incentive Information
• job Fairs
• Career Development Services for Job Seekers
• Career Counseling
• Skills and Interest Assessment
• Job Search Skills Development
• Job Clubs
• Resume Preparation
• High Tech Resource Library
• Services Available in English or Spanish