Happy New Year!

It's a time for renewal, rebirth, and resolution.

Looking at teh number of blog posts I've put up since the new Amherstarea.com site went live, I'll make one resolution now: I'll blog more this year, and try to make it a worthwhile read. A blog isn't really all that worthwhile if we're not adding to it. And as we all know, there's always a lot to report in the Amherst area.

So far, the kickoff to 2012 has been very exciting. We've got new restaurants that have opened and are opening (more on that later this week), and some Chamber changes. Many of them will be unveiled next Wednesday morning at 7:30am at the Courtyard by Marriott in Hadley.

For the first time in two years, the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce will have a new leader at the helm in Kathryn Grandonico of Lincoln Real Estate.

Kathryn has been on the Chamber's Executive Committee for the past four years, serving as a Vice President, the last two as 1st VP. She is a member of the Chamber's Government Affairs Committee, chaired the Chamber's recent website committee, and on the Merry Maple committee. She is a member of Promoting Downtown Amherst, and has been a member of Amherst's Design Review Board.

A second generation Amherst-based business owner, Kathryn manages Lincoln Real Estate's extensive residential and commercial holdings in Northampton, Hadley, and Amherst. One fun fact - Kathryn is the youngest-ever Chamber president at 31 (if our spotty records are correct!).

The Chamber's Executive Committee also includes Larry Archey, Hampshire College (1st VP); Lyne Kendall, UMass Small Business Development Center Network (2nd VP); Mark Ellsworth, Center for Extended Care (Treasurer); Nancy Buffone, UMass University Relations and Events (Secretary); Jim Brassord, Amherst College (at large); and Molly Keegan, Davis Financial Group, LLC (Immediate Past President).

Rounding out the board are the following (term expiration in parenthesis):

• Aaron Jolly, The Pub (2013)
• Meredith Schmidt, UMass Campus Center (2013)
• Jacqueline Zuzgo, Jones Group Realty (2013)
• David Perlmutter, The Daily Hampshire Gazette (2013)
• Cinda Jones, W.D. Cowls (2013)
• Niels la Cour, UMass Planning (2014)
• Felicity Hardee, Bulkley Richardson & Gelinas (2014)
• Jerry Guidera, Center for Cross Cultural Study (2014)
• Reza Rahmani, Moti and Lit (2014)
• Meghan Gregoire, PeoplesBank (2014)
• Barry Roberts, EV Realty Trust (2014)

Thank you to each and every one of the Chamber's board members for their time, energy, and efforts that go into creating a successful business climate for the Amherst Area. Their (mostly) unseen dedication is a gift to the entire business community.