C A P I TA LCO N N E C T I O N S

News and updates fromthe Greater ConcordChamber of Commerce

MEMBER SPONSORED CONTENTT h u r s d a y, April 22, 2021

Bona Fide Green Goods, Chabot Creative, Life Forest, Next Level Automotive, NH JAG, Pe-diatric Therapy Center, Inc., Pompanoosuc Mills, Reliable Coatings and 603 Birch Realty,

LLC. Learn more about these member organizations on the Chamber’s online MembershipDirectory at C o n c o r d N H C h a m b e r. c o m .

Welcome New Members!

NEWS YOU WANT TO KNOW

Delivering connection, learning and hopeThe Greater Concord

Chamber of Commerce of-fers two leadership pro-grams annually: CapitalArea Student Leadershipand Leadership GreaterC o n c o rd .

CASL provides capitalarea high school sopho-mores with the opportunityto learn from state and cityleaders outside of a tradi-tional classroom environ-ment. It also gives youngpeople the confidence andopportunity to explorewhat qualities make some-one a leader and how ideasbecome actions in theirschool or community.

Leadership Greater Con-cord provides adults withan expanded civics pro-gram that prepares themfor future volunteer com-munity, local or board ser-vice. Through ten LGC ses-sion days, participants gainthe necessary skills, toolsand connections needed toget more involved andmake a difference in theircommunities.

Both programs require agreat deal of advancedplanning and supportthrough the Chamber, ourvolunteer committees andthe community. Transition-ing after 30 years to a for-mat that would safely de-liver the programming ex-perience we wanted for ourCASL and Leadership par-ticipants at the onset ofCOVID-19 posed a realchallenge.

CASL traditionally takesplace during the month ofMarch, and as the threat ofCOVID crept into the coun-try, the Chamber tookproactive steps to adjustprogramming for the al-ready accepted Class of2020, ahead of the gover-nor ’s stay at home man-date.

“Capital Area StudentLeadership is a one-timeopportunity for a student’ssophomore year and NewH a m p s h i re ’s only regionalstudent leadership pro-gram,” said Tim Sink,Chamber President. “Wi t hso much uncertaintyswirling around this virusand its growing impact onfamilies, we wanted to de-liver that impactful CASL

experience for those stu-dents.”

So rather than cancel theprogram and further disap-point young adults alreadyfacing losses like sports,clubs and time with peers,the Chamber transformedCASL into a virtual experi-ence that continued thisyear with CASL Class of2021 representing 35 stu-dents from Concord, Bow,Hopkinton, John Stark Re-gional, Merrimack Valleyand Pembroke Academy.Programming included anonline parent student re-ception, orientation, team-building activities, andweekly sessions throughMarch of 2021.

A combination of inter-active activities, smallgroup work, and presenta-tions from local businessand community leaders onthe following themes addedto the students’ experience:finding the leaderwithin; self-realization ofleadership traits, qualitiesand identifying values; ef-fective communication;mindfulness and intention;overcoming adversity; lead-ing or starting a business/nonprofit; sharing messagesthrough media and withthe use of data; and abilityand ease of access to poli-tics in New Hampshire.

Guest speakers in-cluded Christopher Emond,CEO of Boys & Girls Clubsof Central NH; CrystalReynolds, Owner & Opera-tor of 43 Degrees NorthAthletic Club; Angie Lane,Executive Director at RedRiver Theatres, Inc.; Em-mett Soldati, Owner &Founder of Teatotaller;Erika Janik, Executive Pro-ducer at New Hampshire

Public Radio; Phil Sletten,Senior Policy Analyst atNH Fiscal Policy Institute;Josh Hardy, Executive Di-rector at ConcordTV; Dr.Deborah Osgood, Osgood& Associates and TheresaFersch, local author.

Students shared the fol-lowing feedback through-out the program:

”I learned (based on theg ro u p ’s response on speechday) that I am pretty goodat recognizing counterargu-ments and being able tocombat them.”

“I realized that I like pre-senting speeches in front oflarge groups.”

“I really enjoyed gettingto hear business ownersspeak about their inspira-tions, future aspirations,and favorite parts aboutowning a business in theConcord area.”

“Knowing everything isnot necessary to being aleader, and part of being aleader is getting help fromothers.”

“Failure is a natural partof learning.”

“A message that reallyresonated with me washow you can be a leader inyour community while be-ing a business owner.”

“I would highly recom-mend CASL to other stu-dents!”

More than 675 studentshave graduated from Capi-tal Area Student Leadershipover the last two decades.To learn more about theprogram visit Con-c o rd N H C h a m b e r. c o m /CASL.

While the Chamber’sleadership program foradults offered opportunities(following CDC recommen-dations) to safely gather in-person as a class and visitsites in small groups, Lead-ership Greater Concord alsoadapted to include timelyand relevant virtual contentthat complimented sessiondays like education, gov-ernment and politics, healthand human services, andcommunications and themedia. Class participantsexperienced what studentsand educators have experi-enced throughout the pan-demic during EducationDay which was set upmuch like a typical remoteschool day during COVID-19. Participants maneu-vered from different onlineplatforms based on activity,using Google ClassroomHangout, Zoom, Remo, and

completed virtual commu-nity-based activitiesthrough technology likeFlipGrid video.

Health & Human Ser-vices Day featured specialguest Elizabeth R. Daly,DrPH, MPH, Chief of theBureau of Infectious Dis-ease Control at the NewHampshire Department ofHealth and Human Ser-vices, Division of PublicHealth Services, where sheoversees all infectious dis-ease program areas includ-ing surveillance, investiga-tions, immunizations, andp re v e n t i o n .

Government & PoliticsDay included meetingswith the following localand state legislators andspeakers via Zoom: Gover-nor Chris Sununu; Execu-tive Councilor CindeWarmington; Representa-tive Dave Luneau, D-Hop-kinton; Representative DanWolf, R-Newbury; StuartTrachy, Chairman of theMerrimack County Clerk;Mayor James Bouley, Cityof Concord; Tom Aspell,Concord City Manager;David Stack, Bow TownManager; Amanda Grady-Sexton, Concord CityCouncilor (Moderator); By-ron Champlin, ConcordCity Councilor; JimO’Brien, former HopkintonSelectmen; and Jim Mona-han, President, DupontGroup; former MerrimackCounty Treasurer; ConcordZoning Board of Adjust-ment.

Communications Day in-cluded speakers fromNHPR, ConcordTV and theConcord Monitor, in January

during the height of elec-tions and inaugurations.

Class feedback and take-aways about LeadershipGreater Concord included:

“I feel more informed tohave discussions outside ofLGC about important top-ics.”

“How positive and car-ing the staff are that run ourcorrections facilities.”

“It’s often easy to com-plain about outcomes, butConcord really offers a lotof platforms to be a part ofoutcomes that I wasn’tspecifically aware of.”

“How much business thearts bring into town be-cause I did not realize it.”

“I already had a conver-sation with my leadershipteam about ways we couldbe more environmentallyf r i e n d l y. ”

“I had no idea the policein Concord were so activein the community.”

Leadership Greater Con-cord has nearly 600 alumni,many of whom are servingon local town boards, non-profit boards or a municipalcommittee. Interested can-didates who have a com-mitment to the communityand are likely to assumegreater responsibility inthe future are encouragedto apply by June 1 for the2021-2022 program atC o n c o r d N H C h a m b e r. c o m /Leadership.

What we learned in shift-ing both these programspaved the way for onlineforums, Zoom webinars,Remo networking and vir-tual trade show events.Thank you to our dedicatedcommittees and speakersand special thanks to CASLSponsor Northeast DeltaDental and LeadershipGreater Concord SponsorUnitil for your support!

Look for News You Want toKnow here in The ConcordMonitor once a month. Incor-porated in 1919, New Hamp-s h i re ’s state capital chamber ofcommerce — the Greater Con-cord Chamber of Commerce —develops economic opportuni-ties, strengthens the businessclimate and enhances qualityof life in the Capital region.

Cour tesySome members of Leadership Greater Concord Class of 2021 connecting safely through technology.

Cour tesyGuest Speakers Angie Lane and Emmett Soldati discussedbusiness and community leadership with CASL students inMarch .

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