Don Courtemanche
While Amherst is heading into the final stages of hiring a new Town Manager the Amherst Chamber of Commerce will also have to start looking for a new Executive Director, as Don Courtemanche has stepped down after only two years on the job.
The Board of Directors has appointed Jerry Guidera to serve as Acting Executive Director for the time being. Mr Guidera helped found 'Amherst For All', the organization that collected 3,250 signatures to place a Charter question on the ballot, which was easily passed by voters on Tuesday.
In addition to the Chamber of Commerce promoting business we also have a
And the town recently hired Geoffrey Kravitz as Economic Development Director.
21 comments:
Why did he leave? Where is he going? Had he done a good job?
Where is Don going?
Amherst is facing the same problem facing Northampton and other area towns: the internet is taking all retail business. Typically when businesses close, used clothing stores and "flea markets" take over (remember the Dead Mall?), but Amherst hasn't lowered its rents, if anything they are a little higher than Northampton. That means you have to have serious cash flow in order to make a commitment to a retail setting in Amherst, and most startup businesses do not have that luxury.
We'll see more eateries come and go and maybe a few more galleries and museums. But the age of retail in Amherst is over and no study by the town can turn that around.
I guess the new retailer that just signed a long-term lease for space in downtown Amherst didn't read your post.
Chamber is supported by businesses that buy in to the Chamber. BID is supported by landlords that pay in a portion. Economic Development Coordinator, LSSA, Amherst Together are paid for by taxpayers.
There's an extra surcharge for downtown businesses that is collected by the town, so close enough.
The surcharge is not on downtown businesses, it's on property owners only. The town bills the surcharge with the property tax bill. Some landlords decide to pass that on to tenants. I know Barry Roberts and some others that do not.
And if you buy a building from Barry you will have to pay the surcharge going forward whether you like it or not (kind of like a tax).
Right, but you are the property owner.
Right, and my original report said the BID was "tax supported" but now just to make you happy I changed it to "surcharge supported" but I never said specifically whether it was on the business or the property owner.
Why did Don quit??
You did in your comment up above. Don't you read what you write?
Nothing but food can survive in Amherst, same for Northampton where anything other than food is suffering now and some barely making it. Two of many vacant spaces in NH are about to open as more restaurants, one a falafel place. And considering there are homeless every five feet in Northampton these days, it's not exactly family fun. Retail is dead everywhere, Amherst just had no space for any quality retail in the last 15 years and this is the result. Cookie place is coming to Amherst. I'll place the first wager that it lasts no more than six months.
Owning propert is a business.
Tell Zanna, Toy Box, Amherst Books, or Clays that you can't do retail in Amherst. They've done it for years. Zanna for four decades. You just have to know what you are doing.
Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce is more about the Area, namely Hadley, and less about Amherst. Pay to join, pay to attend events...in Hadley. Chamber event The Taste of Amherst features mostly restaurants from other towns who have to pay a high fee to attend.
Chamber has been losing members. That's why he's out.
As a member I'm glad they made the change. I haven't had a good reason to be a member lately. It's mostly been that they automatically bill you for another year unless you notify them.
The internet has not taken local business, locals decided to send their money far away. There is a big difference. The internet cannot make people obsess with big companies far away, consumers decide this knowing it means their children will move far away, but consider the tradeoff worth it because they get slightly cheaper stuff in trade.
The chamber is a marketing firm with poor results, not even worth reporting on. People think this is a public service. It is a franchise type business.
Too easy to shop online. You just can't dine out online.
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