EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S Report
Executive Director’s Report
June 2026
The past several months have been exceptionally busy and productive for the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce. From successful events and strong member engagement to exciting new initiatives and partnerships, it has been a season filled with momentum and opportunity.
We are grateful for the continued support, participation, and collaboration of our members, community partners, and volunteers who make these programs and initiatives possible.
Chamber Events & Programming
Our Empowering Women’s Luncheon was an incredible success, selling beyond capacity and bringing together an inspiring panel of women who shared meaningful insights centered around leadership, perseverance, and growth. This event continues to be one of our most impactful programs and a wonderful example of the power of connection and collaboration within our business community.
A special thank you goes to our moderator, Michelle Bratti, whose thoughtful preparation and dedication to getting to know each panelist helped create a meaningful conversation and memorable experience for everyone in attendance. Her commitment and preparation truly elevated the program, making this one of our strongest events yet.
In addition, we celebrated several successful ribbon cuttings, Business After Hours events, and Netwalking gatherings, each providing valuable opportunities for members to connect, build relationships, and engage with businesses throughout our region.
Our annual Ladies Par-Tee Golf Outing at Squirrel Run provided another memorable opportunity for professional women to network, laugh, and strengthen relationships both on and off the course. This event continues to create a welcoming environment for connection, collaboration, and community.
Plymouth Waterfront Festival
Planning is well underway for the 2026 Plymouth Waterfront Festival, which is officially sold out, with the exception of our Young Entrepreneurs Marketplace in Brewster Gardens. Now in its third year, this special initiative continues to provide young business owners—many of whom started their entrepreneurial journey through our 5th Grade Children’s Business Fair—the opportunity to showcase their products, gain experience, and grow their ventures.
This year’s festival will include many of the traditional favorites attendees know and love, while incorporating special elements celebrating Massachusetts’ 250th anniversary.
Our team is currently finalizing extensive event logistics, including police details, Brewster Ambulance coverage, parking operations, shuttle services, permitting, and insurance requirements to ensure another safe, successful, and memorable event for our community.
We look forward to seeing many of you on August 29th at the Plymouth Waterfront Festival!
Seal the Deal – September 23, 2026
The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, the Plymouth Economic Foundation, and America’s Hometown Magazine are proud to partner in launching Seal the Deal, a new live business pitch event designed to support and elevate entrepreneurs throughout the South Shore.
Taking place on September 23, 2026, at the Spire Center for Performing Arts, this exciting event will bring together emerging startups, business leaders, investors, and community supporters for an evening focused on innovation, opportunity, and investment.
Unlike traditional business competitions, Seal the Deal provides multiple entrepreneurs with the opportunity to secure funding. Community investors will have the chance to allocate investments (grants) toward businesses they believe in while exploring potential strategic partnerships.
We are currently seeking sponsors interested in helping build the investment pool and support this exciting new initiative. This program represents another way we can strengthen entrepreneurship and economic growth within our region.
Revolutionary Runway – September 16, 2026
In partnership with the Plymouth Foundation and The Cat House Consignment (formerly Sprezzatura), we are developing Revolutionary Runway, a signature Massachusetts 250 event scheduled for September 16, 2026, at the Hedge House.
This unique fashion showcase will celebrate Plymouth’s rich history by highlighting the evolution of style from the Revolutionary era to today. By blending history, culture, creativity, and local businesses, the event will encourage residents and visitors to explore our downtown and waterfront districts through shopping, dining, and community experiences before and after the event.
This collaboration represents another innovative opportunity to showcase Plymouth while supporting our local business community.
Golf Tourism Initiative
The Chamber is developing a new marketing initiative focused on positioning Plymouth as a premier golf destination during the fall golf season.
With 13 golf courses across our region, golf tourism presents a significant opportunity to increase visitor spending, encourage overnight stays, and strengthen shoulder-season travel.
The proposed campaign will include digital marketing, drone photography, social media partnerships, influencer engagement, and targeted advertising. We are also working closely with local hotels, restaurants, and retailers to explore golf packages and visitor experiences.
By highlighting our exceptional golf courses, hospitality offerings, and local attractions, we aim to strengthen collaboration among tourism partners and further establish Plymouth as a destination for both leisure travelers and group events.
Tall Ships Visit – July 2026
We are finalizing plans to welcome one, and potentially two, historic tall ships to Plymouth following Sail Boston.
Current discussions include visits from the American Eagle schooner and the Virginia, both historic vessels from Maine. The ships are expected to arrive on July 17 and will offer public deck tours.
Our goal is to provide an opportunity for residents and visitors who may not travel into Boston for Sail Boston to experience these incredible vessels locally, while creating additional opportunities for tourism, vendors, and local businesses.
Workforce Development & the Trades
While Stephen Cole, Chair of the Economic Development Committee, will provide a more detailed committee update, I wanted to highlight an important initiative currently underway in partnership with local educators and employers.
We recently began discussions with Vocational Studies Director Mark Duffy to explore opportunities to strengthen workforce development efforts in the skilled trades. Chamber members across multiple industries continue to identify workforce shortages and difficulty finding qualified employees as one of their greatest challenges.
Our goal is to explore ways the business community can advocate for increased investment in vocational education, expanded program capacity, updated equipment, and stronger partnerships between employers and schools.
We believe strongly that exposing students to rewarding careers in construction, manufacturing, marine trades, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, and other skilled professions creates meaningful pathways to long-term success while helping address critical workforce needs.
By investing in workforce development today, we can help ensure local businesses have access to the talent they need, encourage young professionals to remain in our communities, and provide students with opportunities to build successful and sustainable careers.
Initial conversations with Mark have begun, and we look forward to continuing this important dialogue through the Economic Development Committee.
Looking Ahead
While we will not have another full membership meeting until September, we hope to see many of you at the Plymouth Waterfront Festival and at our upcoming networking opportunities throughout the summer.
Thank you for your continued membership, partnership, and commitment to making our business community stronger. The work we do together is what makes the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce such a valuable resource for our region.
APRIL 2026 REPORT
Since our last update, the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce has been incredibly busy hosting events, launching new initiatives, strengthening partnerships, and creating opportunities for businesses throughout our region.
There have been so many exciting accomplishments that I could easily spend hours sharing everything our team, volunteers, and partners have achieved. Instead, I wanted to highlight some of the key moments and initiatives that reflect the continued momentum of our Chamber community.
Children’s Business Fair
Our Children’s Business Fair continues to grow into one of our most inspiring programs, encouraging entrepreneurship, creativity, and confidence among young members of our community.
This year, the event expanded to two evenings hosted at Plymouth North High School and Plymouth South High School, creating even more opportunities for student entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses. In addition to tremendous support from school families, we saw an impressive turnout from the broader business community. It has truly become a community-wide event that brings people together to support the next generation of entrepreneurs.
One of the most exciting outcomes has been seeing established local businesses connect with and mentor these young entrepreneurs. Several meaningful partnerships have already developed, including Dickie Quintal hosting one of our student entrepreneurs at his farmers market and Board Member Pam Smith hosting a pop-up shop at Locally Yours with one of our young business owners during Mother’s Day weekend.
These real-world business experiences are exactly what make this program so special. We look forward to continuing to highlight these collaborations through our social media channels and encourage our members to help us share these stories and support these young entrepreneurs.
We will also once again feature a Young Entrepreneurs Marketplace in Brewster Gardens during the Plymouth Waterfront Festival, providing another opportunity for these future business leaders to grow their ventures.
Dancing With Our Stars
Our Dancing With Our Stars fundraiser was a tremendous success and continues to be one of the Chamber’s signature events. Congratulations to all of this year’s dancers, who dedicated countless hours to practicing, fundraising, and creating an unforgettable experience for the community.
Congratulations to Brendon Elliot, our Mirror Ball Trophy winner!
This year, the event reached a new fundraising record, raising an incredible $88,787 for the Plymouth Area One Fund. Even more impressive, Deb Balboni established a new individual fundraising record by raising more than $20,000.
This event would not be possible without the extraordinary support of Fred Astaire Dance Studio, including Casey, Forrest, and their entire team. They donate an incredible amount of time, talent, and resources, including providing all dancers with lessons throughout the competition—80 lessons in total.
Their generosity and commitment to this event are truly remarkable, and we hope our members will join us in thanking them for everything they do for the Chamber and our community.
Plymouth Area One Fund
Over the past several weeks, I have been connecting with businesses throughout our community to encourage applications for assistance through the Plymouth Area One Fund, particularly those impacted by severe winter weather and ongoing waterfront construction challenges.
We are hopeful this resource continues to provide meaningful support to businesses facing unexpected obstacles and helps strengthen the resilience of our local economy.
Business Expo
Our annual Business Expo was another tremendous success, receiving very positive feedback from exhibitors and attendees. This event continues to be one of our signature programs and a highly anticipated opportunity for businesses to showcase their products, services, and organizations.
Thank you to everyone who participated, attended, and helped make the event successful. A special thank you goes to Hotel 1620 for once again being an incredible partner and host.
As we look ahead to next year, we are exploring opportunities to enhance the experience, including educational seminars and potentially moving the event to a Thursday. We will be surveying exhibitors to gather feedback and ideas to continue improving this important business showcase.
Business After Hours & Member Connections
We recently hosted a joint Business After Hours at Fred Astaire Dance Studio and Zebra Visuals, bringing together members for an evening of networking and connection while highlighting two outstanding local businesses.
Both organizations represent what makes our business community special. Fred Astaire continues to make an incredible impact through their support of Dancing With Our Stars and the Plymouth Area One Fund, while Jean Schweir of Zebra Visuals continues to be an exceptional Chamber Ambassador, consistently supporting fellow members and helping grow our Chamber community.
Partnerships & New Programs
We are excited about several new partnerships and initiatives underway:
We were awarded all requested grants from the Visitors Services Board, including funding support for several new initiatives discussed at previous meetings.
We are collaborating with South Shore Times, a positive online publication, to increase visibility for our members, programs, and events. This partnership will also include educational workshops designed to provide additional value to our business community.
We are exploring a potential new member benefit through a Medicare savings program. After discussions with Scott Hokanson, we believe this opportunity could provide meaningful value to members while also creating an additional non-dues revenue stream for the Chamber.
We launched a new social media series, Shore Things, where Brendon Elliot and I visit local businesses to showcase their products, services, and stories. This initiative allows us to highlight our incredible business community while also creating opportunities to expand our digital reach and develop sponsorship opportunities.
Upcoming Events
Empowering Women’s Luncheon – May 15, 2026
Our Empowering Women’s Luncheon will take place on May 15th at Pinehills Pavilion.
The event will begin with vendor exhibits and networking from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., followed by our panel discussion from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
We are fortunate to feature five inspiring women, each bringing a unique perspective and powerful message:
Nancy Gaudet, Type One Families – Caregiving and advocacy
Kerry Connolly, Row and Ride – Reinvention and leadership
Kathleen Rowell, American Moving and Installation – Breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry and scaling against the odds
Adriana Moschella, Eastern Bank – Climbing, earning, and leading within a structured system while lifting others
Meghan Keller, Heroes in Transition – Service, survival, and finding purpose through community
We are also thrilled to welcome back Michelle Bratti as our moderator. Her compassion, preparation, and ability to connect with panelists continue to elevate this event and create meaningful conversations.
A special thank you goes to Eastern Bank, our leading sponsor, along with all of our supporting sponsors. This event continues to be a powerful celebration of leadership, connection, and community.
Plymouth Waterfront Festival
Planning is underway for the 2026 Plymouth Waterfront Festival, and Alison and I have been working diligently to finalize vendor registration through our new EventHub platform.
We anticipate opening registration first to Chamber members before expanding to the general public. Since this event consistently sells out, this updated platform will help streamline registration, improve communication, and create a better experience for vendors.
A special thank you to Alison for leading this effort and helping ensure we are prepared for another successful festival.
Recognizing Our Team
Before closing, I want to take a moment to recognize J.R. Perkins and Alison Costa for their incredible dedication and commitment over the past several months.
Their willingness to step up, take on additional responsibilities, and go above and beyond has been instrumental in ensuring the Chamber continues operating at the highest level. Their teamwork, professionalism, and commitment to our members are truly appreciated.
J.R. has been an incredible partner in bringing our events to life, and Alison’s leadership and attention to detail continue to strengthen our operations. I am incredibly grateful for their hard work and proud of the team we have built.
Thank you to all of our members for your continued support, engagement, and partnership. The success of the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce is driven by the incredible businesses and individuals who make up this community.
We look forward to continuing to serve you and creating new opportunities for connection, growth, and success.