Chamber Spotlight: Greene County Chamber of Commerce
Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals awarded Melody Longstreth an award during their annual convention. From left, Amy Petro and Brian Schill (10 years) of the Peter’s Township Chamber, Melody Longstreth, Director (30 years), Mandi Fordyce and Janice Morris of the Greene County Chamber
Members of the chamber staff, past and present, along with several board members at the Observer-Reporter’s Best of the Best Gala
Greene County Chamber of Commerce staff, from left, Mandi Fordyce, communications coordinator, Janice Morris, executive assistant and Melody Longstreth, executive director
Legislative Breakfast with Alex Halper of the PA Chamber of Business and Industry
Smart Sands ribbon cutting
The Greene County Chamber of Commerce has been serving the area since being founded in 1901. It operated as the Waynesburg Chamber of Commerce until 2017, when the current name was adopted to reflect the region better. It functions as an accredited chamber through the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals with a staff of three and a board of nine members.
The chamber focuses on assisting member businesses and individuals through the promotion of services, referrals, networking events and member-only benefits. The chamber also works to provide community service projects on behalf of its members through programs such as annual scholarships to graduating high school seniors and classroom scholarships to assist teachers with projects that are financially out of reach. The student scholarship program has awarded over $50,000 in its thirty-plus year history to help Greene County youth continue their education in a two or four-year college or technical trade program.
The most prominent and visible community service project is the annual Christmas Parade held in downtown Waynesburg. Celebrating 84 years of this tradition in 2022, the parade has taken place on High Street since 1938, apart from two years during the pandemic when the state closed state roads to all manner of fairs, festivals and parades statewide. But the tradition continued with a “reverse” parade held on the Greene County Fairgrounds in both years. 2022 marks the return of this longstanding tradition to its historical location on High Street.
The chamber is a member of the PA Chamber of Business and Industry and frequently lends support to statewide legislative initiatives that will support businesses not only locally but statewide. In September, the vice president of government affairs, Alex Halper, attended a legislative breakfast hosted by the chamber where he discussed current active legislation and covered some recent victories that will benefit business.
The University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center is now housed in the chamber office one day each week and staffed by Zach Patton, management consultant, who provides help to those looking to start a business or needing assistance with an existing business.
2022 also marked a few special achievements for the chamber. The organization was voted as a top three finalist in the Observer-Reporter’s Best of the Best program. The Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals awarded the chamber’s director a 30-year industry service award during their annual convention in Gettysburg. And the chamber remains on the list of the Pittsburgh Business Times’ largest chambers in the nine-county region, coming in at 16. This marks the 17th year that the chamber has made the list and the highest ranking to date.
The chamber frequently hosts ribbon cuttings for new businesses, new or expanded locations and also special projects. 2022 saw eleven ribbon cuttings take place to celebrate new and growing businesses.
For more information on becoming a member or on the chamber’s many projects and services, please visit our website at greenechamber.org or contact our office at info@greenechamber.com.