By William Tauro

This past Thursday dozens of representatives from local Somerville businesses got together and enjoyed an evening of live music, fresh air, refreshments, excellent networking and even a very cool sunset on Somerville’s waterfront at the Chamber of Commerce’s monthly After Hours Event.

This particular popular annual event was sponsored by ABG Realty & The Somerville News Weekly and hosted by Dana Iacopucci of Cubby Oil & Energy and Somerville’s Winter Hill Yacht Club on the docks of the yacht club that’s located at Foley Street in Somerville at the waterfront.

The monthly Somerville Chamber of Commerce After Hours events are a combination of good people of the business community working together to enhance the Somerville Community.

The Somerville Chamber of Commerce is the pre-eminent voice of the local business community and the leading network of employers, business owners and managers.

Learn more about the Chamber’s approach and how they have…

· promoted Somerville;

· advanced Somerville development, transportation, & innovation;

· buttressed Somerville’s city government and its leaders;

· supported Somerville public schools;

· responded to special moments with special events and actions;

· improved Somerville’s environment and urban quality of life;

· discouraged uncompetitive business costs and regulations;

· introduced signature events; and

· made thousands of one-on-one connections.

The Chamber’s achievements and mission is to serve the membership while enhancing Somerville’s quality of life. Somerville is a place to visit, live, work and play.

Founded in 1946, the Chamber is a voluntary business association with 310+ members companies and organizations.   Somerville is a small business haven. The average private employer has less than ten employees.

Chamber member companies and organizations come from every local industry and they range from individual consultants, sole proprietors, and shop owners to the largest non-profit and for-profit employers.

The Chamber is funded by the voluntary annual dues investments of its members and by income from events and publications. Additional financial support is provided by the Chamber’s New Group — a special group of economic leaders who make voluntary contributions to enable a strong economic development agenda. With hundreds of members but only two staff, the strength of this organization is the membership.

From the governance of the organization, to business and economic issues work, to individual case work, members play an integral role in the vitality of chamber.

To join the Somerville Chamber of Commerce you can go to:

somervillechamber.org