Essential workers honored as chamber reflects on difficult year
The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut on Tuesday took stock of the previous year virtually, holding an annual meeting on Zoom that honored frontline essential workers and reflected on a difficult year while expressing gratitude for the community's generosity.
Pfizer sponsored the Essential Worker Heroes awards, with site affairs lead Suzanne Ellery recognizing the three recipients.
As property custodian at Reliance Health, John Stafford did extra cleaning — never missing a day of work during the pandemic — and would start work early to help with snow removal.
In nominating Charles Steinhart V, chief of the North Stonington Volunteer Fire Company, Carolyn Howell said the fire chief is generous in volunteering his personal time and responds to calls for help day and night.
The third recipient was Alison Watrous, director of nursing at Elmbrook Village, an assisted living facility in Bozrah that hasn't had any COVID-19-associated deaths among staff or residents.
Following the awards were updates of chamber activities from the past year, starting with Board of Directors Treasurer David Pugliese discussing the financial picture.
He noted that when the pandemic hit, Chamber President and CEO Tony Sheridan made the difficult decisions to eliminate a part-time position and furlough half the staff, and the chamber reduced expenses about 40% from the original budget.
Pugliese said the chamber saw a 15% decline in membership revenue and 70% drop in event revenue but ended the year with a modest positive net income, which he called "truly amazing in an extremely difficult year." Staff have returned to work.
Board of Directors Chairman Stephen Coan, head of the Mystic Aquarium, said it's "tremendously difficult for businesses to support a chamber when they're under stress, and yet all of you did, to keep this chamber going."
In a pre-recorded video, representatives from a few chamber members — such as the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Uncle D's Blazin' BBQ, and Bank Square Books — shared how the chamber helped them navigate state guidelines and grant opportunities over this difficult year.
Lou Ziegler, chairman of the Chamber Foundation, said the foundation was able to award $94,380 to 37 nonprofits just before everything shut down last March.
The Foundation couldn't hold its annual holiday gala in December but enlisted Miranda Creative to come up with a new fundraising campaign for 2021, called Every Month is a Holiday. To continue supporting the grants to nonprofits, nine businesses have stepped up so far as gold sponsors.
More information on the chamber's activities in 2020 can be found in its annual report, at chamberect.com/annual-report-2020.
Last year, the chamber gained 73 new members and four regional benefactors, formed a partnership with the Eastern Regional Tourism District, moved its Holiday Shopping Trail online, hosted virtual state House of Representatives debates ahead of the election, and held many webinars and town halls.
And Coan said that Sheridan promises a "wonderful party" in the future, with wine and other beverages to honor the award recipients — Foxwoods is honoring them with an overnight stay and dinner.
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