Dear Editor:
On Monday, March 24, the newly formed Weehawken Chamber of Commerce held its first public “event”, a networking opportunity for area businesses and professionals, and it was truly a great success. It accomplished exactly what we had hoped, a chance for the participants to meet each other, exchange ideas and find out what they may be able to do to help not only their own business thrive and grow, but what they may be able to do to help each other by participation in a local Chamber.
Thank you to all those talented and enthusiastic people who attended the first event. I have been to Business Card exchange functions of both the Jersey City and Hoboken Chambers of Commerce, and even though these organizations have been up and running for a number of years, we had as successful an event as many I’ve seen in both of those much larger communities. As a Trustee of the developing Weehawken Chamber of Commerce, I was gratified to see the dozens of professionals representing a wide variety of businesses — florists, hotels, restaurants, financial and insurance, publishers, retailers, independent craftspeople, recording, visual and musical artists, mailing and marketing executives, realtors, hairdressers and more. I am extremely optimistic about the future of this worthwhile new organization.
The Chamber welcomes everyone who does business in Weehawken to join together to work for the better good of all involved. Further, we have invited the support and cooperation of Mayor Turner and all Township Officials to work in conjunction with the Chamber to accomplish even greater goals, and we look forward to that union of business people and our Community Leaders.
In response to Mr. Thomas Rovito’s letter of last week where in it states the “Chamber is a front”… I believe the correct terminology should have been “the Chamber is in the forefront” with the singular purpose of advancing the businesses and professionals who do business in our Town and service our community.
Mr. Rovito is correct in saying that some people involved with the Chamber are also part of a political group (WIN), however, I don’t believe anyone should be precluded from involvement in a worthwhile project in their community. I just don’t understand what one thing has to do with the other, and in reality there are also people supporting the Chamber who are members of Weehawken & You.
I would like to let the past be just that…the past! Men and women are sacrificing, at this very moment, to protect our freedom of speech, choice and beliefs, and I will always respect everyone’s right to those freedoms which we hold so dear. So, let’s keep things in perspective, move on and put our energies to the positive business-at-hand of lending all the talent, energy and ideas we can muster between us, in a true non-partisan spirit, to make a unified Weehawken Chamber of Commerce a greater success.
To all members and those who are interested in becoming a member, we look forward to your combined cooperation, support, ideas and attendance at future events.
Barbara Tulko
Trustee
Weehawken Chamber of Commerce