1. Attend Sales Leads – This referral group is a member-only benefit! Attend this FREE referral group as often as you like to meet your fellow members and gain new contacts & clients. At each meeting, two members get a “10 minute commercial” sales pitch! For more info, visit our sales leads page!
2. Seminars Geared Towards Small Business – The Chamber offers FREE monthly SB² seminars, focusing on topics and issues affecting small business owners. For an up-to-date schedule, click here. If you’re looking for a more interactive environment, try one of our Quickbooks or Social Media classes! Check out our web calendar for more information!
3. Spend an Evening Making New Contacts – Come to a Business after Hours! Hosted by rotating Chamber members, Business After Hours mixers are a great way to meet new clients and customers in a relaxed setting. Our next BAH will be a joint event with the Nashoba Valley Chamber, so you’ll get double the members! Click here to see all our scheduled after hours events.
4. Support Local Students: Get Out & Golf! – The Chamber hosts an annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, with proceeds benefiting the Chamber Foundation. Scholarships are presented to local high-achieving students at our May Good Morning Breakfast. This event is a great way to meet other members, get out of the office for a day or reward employees. Visit our tournament page for more details.
5. Let Your Voice Be Heard – Contact your Elected Officials and let them know what issues are affecting businesses in North Central. The more voices they hear… the more they will take notice! Click here for a listing of Elected Officials.
6. Get Involved in Our Spring Membership Drive! – Calling all volunteers! The Chamber will be holding 2-day phone blotz! To be held Tuesday, March 2 & Wednesday March 3. We are looking for volunteers to participate in the phone-a-thon & we could use you! This is a great way to get your clients and suppliers involved. Fabulous prizes to be awarded! Amazing incentives to all companies x234 for more details!
7. DATA BREACH: Find out if you’re compliant! - With the impending implementation of data security regulations in March, we encourage all businesses to take a moment to visit the Massachusetts's Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations' website to get all the latest information. Frequently Asked Questions, a checklist for small businesses, a guide for small businesses & final regulations can be found here.
8. Check Out Member 2 Member Discounts - The Chamber's M2M discount program allows Chamber members the opportunity to offer their products or services at a discounted rate to other Chamber members. Want to offer a discount to other members? Contact Dick at x234.
9. Get The Word Out! - Are you holding an event? Opening a new building? Tell other members about it! Send your member news to Marissa and it will be posted! Looking to hire? Post your position on our free job posting! Just visit our homepage, click jobs & fill out the online application!
10. Get Free Business Counseling – SCORE & the MSBDC hold office hours weekly at the Chamber. Whether you have a business or are looking to branch out, we can help! Contact the Chamber to schedule an appointment today!
All Massachusetts employers with 11 or more full-time equivalent employees are required to complete the online Health Care Reform Fair Share filing between January 1 and February 15, whether or not notification is received from the Division of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
Employers will enter information based on the period of October 1 - December 31, 2009. Employers who have not filed since this time last year will be asked if they maintained compliance for the period between January 2009 and September 2009. If compliance was not maintained during that period, the employer will owe the Fair Share penalty plus 12 percent.
Employers will be notified by the DUA regarding their ongoing filing responsibilities (i.e. either required to file on a quarterly basis or not required to file again until a year from now). Employers should assume they are required to file on a quarterly basis, even if they pass the Fair Share test(s), unless a waiver is received from the DUA. Upon receipt of a waiver, employers may choose to file quarterly.
Employers should pay close attention to the definition of “full-time employee” as it applies to the Fair Share test. Regulations published in October amended this definition. As a reminder, the Fair Share tests are as follows:
Employers of 50 or fewer FTEs continue to comply by passing just one of the two Fair Share compliance tests. Employers of more than 50 FTEs, having at least 75 percent of “full-time” employees enrolled in their group health plan results in automatic compliance. Having fewer than 75 percent of full-time employees enrolled in the employer-sponsored plan means the employer must now pass both Fair Share compliance tests in order to avoid being subject to a financial penalty. For more information visit http://www.mass.gov/fairshare.
