Guilderland business owners will see a familiar face leading the local Chamber of Commerce through a transition in leadership and future direction.
The Guilderland Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday, Nov. 7, its membership and program manager, Erika Gauthier, was selected as interim president. Gauthier will lead the Chamber for approximately six months as its board of trustees searches for a new president and strategically plan the direction of the organization. Kathy Burbank stepped down as president of the chamber on Friday, Nov. 8, to become executive director of Community Caregivers, which is a not-for-profit offering home-based, non-clinical services for Albany County residents.
“We are confident that Erika Gauthier has the capability to lead the chamber through the transition,” Chamber Board of Trustees President Jenni Bliven said in a statement.
Gauthier has worked at the Guilderland Chamber for four years and started her career at the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce focusing on tourism. After a year at the Montgomery Chamber, she worked in marketing at corporate and small businesses. She also has worked with the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce on membership issues.
Gauthier said since she already knows chamber members, the transition should be an easy one.
“I am excited for this opportunity to get to lead the chamber during this time,” Gauthier said in a statement.
Gauthier’s new position will see her getting out of the office more, she said, as she steps up to become the “face” of the chamber.
Not only is the chamber transitioning to a new leader, but health insurance reforms through the Affordable Care Act are affecting all chambers over the next year, according to Bliven.
The Guilderland Chamber has about 500 members, and many take advantage of health insurance plans offered through the chamber. Members that are sole business owners will have to go through the state health insurance exchange under the new regulations.
“The challenge of the chamber … is really going to be to show our members, businesses and our community that we are more than just health insurance,” Gauthier said. “We are still here as a community organization, and I think that is going to be the challenge in the near future.”
Gauthier said the chamber, along with others, has offered high-deductible health insurance plans, but the ACA mandates 10 points of coverage for every plan. Many of the high-deductible plans did not offer all needed points.
Gauthier said she talked to a member on Friday, Nov. 8, that’s seeing their plan increase from $330 a month to around $900.
“We can still help them enroll in the exchanges, and there is a couple different ways they can still go through a carrier, but they will not be eligible to get a tax break,” she said.
There are many services and opportunities the chamber offers that Gauthier does not think people are aware of, such as community events, networking events, seminars, and low-cost advertising through its website and email blasts.
She said the larger events like Souped Up on Guilderland are growing in size every year, while smaller events like mixers have been remaining flat. The chamber is going to be looking at what events members would like to see more of and how to best network with fellow business owners.
“I think in the last few years with the recession … people are really kind of taking a step back and prioritizing what is really important,” she said.
The Chamber’s Board of Trustees will be forming a Planning Committee to develop a strategic plan for the organization’s future as it searches for a new president.
