In June, the Windsor Chamber of Commerce elected its new slate of officers including Paula M. Pierce of Hosting Connecticut LLC as President.

Before the election Pierce served as Vice President for two years and a member of the board of directors for several years.

On first joining the Chamber, Pierce vowed to go as many networking meetings as possible and succeeded in going to every Business Breakfast and Business After Hours for the first two years. After that feat, which may have been a record, Pierce continued going to most networking events and found that in addition to meeting many new people and learning about other businesses in town, she also gained many new clients.

As President, Pierce's goals are to complete the Procedures and Policy manuals for future committees and boards, to revise the Bylaws to better reflect the current workings of the Chamber, and to reinstate collaboration with other local Chambers in the Tobacco Valley Chambers of Commerce.

"It's amazing the number of programs that the Chamber offers, not only the business community, but for the public to enjoy as well," says Pierce. The Chamber organizes and funds activities throughout the year that assist businesses and educate the community as to what Windsor really has to offer. One such program is the Passport to Summer Fun in Windsor in which the public are invited to get their passport stamped at various restaurants and venues in Windsor with the chance of winning some really great prizes at the end of the summer.

"Passport is a fun program. It promotes Chamber member restaurants and it gives families something fun to do over the summer," says Jane Garibay, Executive Director of the Chamber. It's been extremely popular. "People want to win the computer or the Wii especially."

Pierce knows that being president for two years will occupy more of her time than simply being on the board, but she's prepared to give it her all while continuing to chair the Tourism Committee and being an integral part of the website and auction committees. "I enjoy being a part of such a worthwhile organization. The level of volunteer participation in all the activities is amazing." The Chamber is almost entirely member and volunteer driven with only 2 paid staff members.

"2008-2010 will be busy for me," says Pierce, "but I'm really enjoying being a part of to good work the Windsor Chamber does.

Pierce is the owner of Hosting Connecticut LLC and PaulaWalla Imports LLC, both online businesses located in Windsor. They can be found at www.HostingCT.com and www.PaulaWalla.com. The Windsor Chamber of Commerce is online at www.WindsorCC.org