By Gina Martinez
The Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting last Thursday, where leaders elected new board members and previewed its 2017 agenda.
John Choe, executive director of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, talked about new initiatives, including Flushing’s first district marketing campaign.
The district’s campaign wants to bring new visitors to local businesses by highlighting Flushing’s unique history and diverse culture. The campaign will use the latest technology and will promote the stories of those who run local businesses.
Chamber members previewed the first in a series of short documentary videos by filmmakers Helena Kincaid and Daniel Nalladurai of Sixty First Productions, a member of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce.
The idea for the campaign grew out of research conducted by the Chamber as part of the Flushing Commercial District Needs Assessment initiated by the city Department of Small Business Services.
Members of the Chamber also elected two new members to the board of directors: James Chen, the founder of Flush
Current board members Michael Cheng of Epos Development, Taehoon Kim of Regen Acupuncture, Ellen Kodadek of Flushing Town Hall, and Michael Lam of Century Homes were re-elected to the board for additional three-year terms.
State Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing), Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D- Flushing), attended the meeting and thanked the Flushing Chamber for promoting business in their district.
“The Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce represents a unique kind of partnership in our community – one that seeks to foster and sustain the rapid economic development that has made our neighborhoods among the most dynamic in the country,” Kim said. “The truth is that small businesses in our state and city are struggling, and many have been struggling for years now just to get by.”
He said many of these businesses, which still are a majority in the community, are closing down or leaving the city
The assemblyman said he wants to work with community leaders and the other lawmakers to reverse this trend.
Simon Gerson, president of the Flushing Chamber, said there is no neighborhood in the world as dynamic and enterprising as Flushing.
“Through advocacy, education, and networking, our Chamber is strengthening our business community,” he said. “In these times of uncertainty, our united voice will ensure that we continue to build on the progress we have worked so hard to achieve.”
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
