Chamber Events

We are excited to launch our exclusive Health and Wellness Mastermind Group designed for like-minded business owners committed to learning, growing, and driving success together. This is a follow up to our September Health and Wellness “Meet and Greet,” where we discussed key issues such as marketing strategies and work-life integration. This intimate group will focus on exchanging insights, solving problems collaboratively, and holding each other accountable in a confidential and supportive environment.

Bring your lunch and let’s connect to develop relationships and gain fresh perspectives! If you have any questions, please contact Steve Reinhold (steve@phwassociates.com)  or Wendy Iglehart (wiglehart@wendyiglehart.com).

Sponsored by fellow GGCC members:

Launch Workplaces, Tehrani Law, LLC, and Chick-fil-A

Mix, mingle, and network with Chamber members.

GGCC Members and Non-Members are invited to break the ice and expand your professional circle in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Thank you to Launch Workplaces and Tehrani Law, LLC! 

If you need accommodations to comfortably access this event, please email llumbreras@ggchamber.org.     

Join us! The DEI&B committee will focus on advancing the DEI&B goals of our organization by advocating for economic inclusion, growth and competitiveness of our community’s diverse business population. Our goal is to ensure that the diversity of cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, races, and experiences within our business and non-profit communities is reflected in every aspect of the Chamber’s operations.

Committee Chair: Open

This meeting will be held in person monthly. 2nd Thursday each month at GGCC. We hope to see you all there!     

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Montgomery County - Join us for an educational webinar to learn about building true business credit through completing the necessary four legs to the bankable table!

Become more educated on the fundamentals of business credit, learn how best to grow and develop your business credit profile and score, and how business credit can be leveraged to your advantage.

Register Now! 

Join us in the ribbon-cutting celebration for our chamber member Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls as we celebrate its grand opening!

Our monthly Nonprofit Direct Connect meeting will be in person in November at GGCC member BlackRock Center for the Arts, and is shifted to the 3rd Wednesday this month due to the Veterans Day observance. 

Join us for a conversation with Maryland State delegate Marc Korman who will share important information about the state budget and a preview of the upcoming MD legislative session.

Marc was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2014, representing District 16. He is the current chair of the Environment & Transportation Committee and served as the Majority Leader in 2023.  

Our Nonprofit Direct Connect group typically meets on the 2nd Monday each month virtually or in person. This Direct Connect group is led by Denise Fredericks, Mercy Health Clinic, and Deborah Zimmer, Universities at Shady Grove. All meetings are open to all Chamber members.  For more information on the GGCC's Direct Connect program, please click here. If you need accommodations to comfortably access this event, please email llumbreras@ggchamber.org. 

The GGCC's Mastermind Direct Connect group invites all chamber members to participate in this event! 

Join us for a panel discussion centered around AI-driven productivity tools, and also some cautionary measures that folks should be aware of.

Confirmed panelists:

• Cliff Peterson: owner, Integrency (IT/cyber)
• Philippa Channer: owner, Channer Consulting (marketing)
• Matt Ruck: Founder & CEO of xop.ai (automation and AI consultancy)
• awaiting confirmation from other invited panelists 

Venue and light breakfast sponsored by:

Space is limited. Please register only if you know you will attend this event.  Please email llumbreras@ggchamber.org if you need accommodations to comfortably access this event. 

Our panelist bios:

• Matt Ruck is the Founder & CEO of xop.ai, an automation and AI consultancy specializing in cost effective and practical use cases of AI that can benefit every employee’s productivity.   He is a former CEO of designDATA, a leading Managed Services Provider.      

• Philippa Channer is a dedicated marketing strategist with close to 20 years of experience in communications and a passion for empowering small business owners. Her mission is to help entrepreneurs take control of their marketing by equipping them with the confidence, clarity, and tools needed to develop their own impactful marketing strategies.
•  
• Cliff Peterson: owner, Founder & CEO, Integrency

Program for November:  We will receive an update from the City of Gaithersburg's team about various development projects. 

Through the Gaithersburg-Germantown Economic Development & Legislative Affairs (ED&LA) Committee, the Chamber will proactively work with City, County and State Leaders to support the Economic Development of Gaithersburg, Germantown and surrounding jurisdictions, and represent the GGCC and its members in a pro-active manner in the formulation of state and local legislation and policy affecting the business community. These meetings are open to all members to attend and learn more about the various economic and legislative topics impacting businesses in our area.

The Membership Attraction and Retention (MAR) Committee is charged with: maintaining a strong growth in membership through targeted new member recruitment activities that effectively communicate the value of membership to community businesses; Promoting the ongoing value of membership to member businesses through personalized contacts with member business representatives and other initiatives that monitor member needs, member satisfaction, and their perception of Chamber Value; communicating the Return On Investment to Members and engaging them in GGCC activities.

All Chamber Members Welcome to Join and Attend our Meetings

Join us for a joint networking happy hour with several great business networking organizations: Connect Network, GGCC, the High Energy Lunch Bunch, Networking Partners, and FNG, and help support the local philanthropic efforts of our business community!

Expand your network of business friends and referrals. Bring your business cards! Your $15 donation includes a drink ticket and delicious appetizers sponsored by Dave & Busters! Additional food/beverage and game play is available for purchase.

All proceeds from this event will equally benefit Operation Second Chance and the GGCC Community Foundation.

Please register at this link.

This event is going to be popular! Sponsorships for this event are available if you would like additional exposure for your business! For $150, you can have your logo here and address the crowd about your business at the event! 

Thank you to these sponsors:

About the GGCC Community Foundation:   The GGCC Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization organized in Maryland. Founded in April 2023 as an independent entity by the Board of Directors of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, the GGCC Community Foundation seeks to “Support community engagement work relevant to the Montgomery County Upcounty small business community, with an emphasis in professional development, workforce development, and community involvement.” As part of the Chamber's Annual Public Safety Awards Breakfast, the GGCC Community Foundation has engaged in a fundraising effort for the Shop with a Cop programs led by the Gaithersburg Police Foundation and the MC Police Foundation. All Shop with a Cop donations are tax-deductible and will be passed to those entities.

Finish up our 2024 YPG Professional Development Series with a discussion of these two books:

• Book 1: Navigating Difficult Conversations: How To Discuss What Matters Most (Aug)  
• Book 2: Managing Up: How To Move Up, Win At Work & Succeed With Any Type Of Boss (November)     

Please feel free to bring a breakfast or snack from one of our local chamber restaurants!  

Professional Development Series venue sponsored by Homewood Suites by Hilton.

GGCC YPG members: free to attend

Non-GGCC attendees: $25/ticket

If you would like to make an optional, tax-deductible donation to support future professional development programming, please make a donation through the GGCC Community Foundation. 

The Professional Development series is geared toward our Chamber’s Young Professionals Group, but is open and relevant to all members! Attendance is free for our YPG professionals, and others are encouraged to attend, share their experiences with and learn from our earlier-career members, and are also encouraged to make an optional donation of their choice to help support future Professional Development events. All Chamber members are invited, and please remember that Chamber membership extends to ALL employees in the member business! Together we are stronger. We are the #GGCC. We are the #UpcountyEngine. Let’s learn together!

Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses and communities across the country and is part of the larger Shop Small Movement. Founded by American Express in 2010, this day is celebrated each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. Since it started in 2010, consumers have reported spending over $200 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturdays since 2010*. 

Shop Small has grown to be a year-round movement that supports small businesses across the globe.  

Want some #ShopSmall #ShopLocal swag from AmEx?  Visit us during the holiday shopping season at a Chamber event, or at the Celebrate the Seasons event in Germantown Town Center!

*This spend statistic is an aggregate of the average spend as reported by consumers who shopped small on Small Business Saturday in surveys commissioned by American Express reporting spend habits on Small Business Saturday since 2012. It does not reflect actual receipts or sales. Each such survey was conducted online among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. The data was projected from the samples based on then-current U.S. Census estimates of the U.S. adult population (18+).