Well my friends, it’s hard to believe that the year is over.

However, it was an amazing year as your chamber president, and I am truly thankful and grateful for the opportunity. And honestly, it is quite nice having the new title of, “past president.” 

Our very funny master of ceremonies for the evening was Tom Custance of Edward Jones. We also had some superstar guests make their appearance and give out several awards. Joining us for the festivities were 11th District state Del. Dana Stein, state Sen. Bobby Zirkin, 2nd District Baltimore County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz, and even Dorothy from the "Wizard of Oz." Remember, this is always an event that you want to attend -- mark your calendar for next year. 

Now that I talked about the hype from the evening, let me just let you know that I am very excited for this upcoming year with our new president, Rachel Heird of Farmers and Merchants Bank. During her acceptance speech, she really focused on the importance of creating our own stimulus package, right here in our backyard, and that of course is through linking businesses together within our own chamber. 

How wonderful was it to see the number of individuals in the room that raised their hands to say, “Yes, I am a ROMG chamber member, and yes, I get business from other chamber members”? It’s remarkable. 

If you’ve ever wondered where you can get the most value out of the money you spend to market your business, it’s definitely in the ROMG chamber. Look to the ROMG chamber as a “one stop shop” for everything you need with your business; advice, supplies, legal help, insurance, you name it -- the chamber has it. 

I again would like to take the opportunity to thank some strong leaders in our community for their commitment and service throughout the years on our board of directors:

Joyce Geipe, Easy Movers; Carey Scilipote, Auto Collision Specialists; Carolyn Eichler, Bransfield Motor Company; Ruth Sliviak, ICS Insurance; Anne Evans, T. Rowe Price; Christy Tasker, Susquehanna Bank; Nancy Volpitta, Imageline On Hold; and Bill Leonhardt, formerly with the Owings Mills Hilton Garden Inn and now with the Pikesville Hilton. 

Their energy and ideas have been truly valuable throughout their terms.

I also again wanted to congratulate Neil Levy of Levy, Mann, Caplan, Hermann & Polashuk for being nominated as chairman of the year. Levy created our Bloomin’ 5-kilometer run last year. As a first event, his idea blossomed into overwhelming success, and we were able to raise almost $5,000 for the Northwest Hospital Cardiac Center. We are extremely excited to see what the Bloomin’ 5K will do this year for the Infusion Center at Northwest Hospital. (Sponsorships are still available.) 

Rachel, we are excited to have you as our new leader! We know that you will continue the excitement and the energy that our chamber is feeling, and 2009 is going to really shine.

Thank you

The ROMG Chamber of Commerce would like to thank our sponsors of Charter Night '09, once more:

• Tin Man Level: Farmers and Merchants Bank; Simply Elegant Catering.

• Cowardly Lion Level: BB&T; DeLeonardo Smith & Associates LLC; Flowers & Fancies; Owings Mills Times.

• Scarecrow Level: Auto Collision Specialists; Arlene M. Burman’s Makeovers, Makeup & More; Chick-Fil-A at Owings Mills Square; Carroll Tree Service; The Harbour School at Baltimore; Hilton Garden Inn Owings Mills; James Carroll, CPA, LLC; Northwest Savings Bank; State Farm Insurance, James E. Flower Agency, Inc.; Mayer & Steinberg; Regal Bank & Trust; and Simonds Nursery, Inc.

Winners of 'Wizard of Oz' trivia

For a spark of fun at the Charter Night event, Jim Flower with State Farm Insurance came up with a clever game of "Wizard of Oz" trivia for the night. The winners are able to choose from a free chamber mailing flier insert, or free entry into a networking event of their choice. Congratulations again to the following individuals at the winning table:

Ruth Sliviak, ICS Insurance, and husband Greg Sliviak, Sliviak’s Ornamental Ironworks; Jade Mrazik, Liberty Mutual Insurance; James Carroll, CPA (and family); Kirsten Beck, Expressway Office Solutions, and husband William, R&H Mercedes.

Member news

Girls only: Here’s something new, fun and exciting. For the first time ever, the ROMG Chamber of Commerce has created a "Women in Business" group. The requirements are you must be female and you must be in the ROMG chamber. 

Thanks to Kathleen Dorsey of Global Results, we have a vibrant group, and we are looking for additional members. The Women in Business group will be having their first kickoff meeting on April 22 at the Gramercy Mansion, for high tea. How cool is that?  Please RSVP; seating is limited. If you have a potential member for the group, feel free to bring her along and introduce her to the power of women networking.

Upcoming events

• Thursday: BBL; 12 p.m.-1 p.m., Gramercy Mansion Bed & Breakfast. Free to members; $10 for non-members.

• 3/11: Mega networking event; nine chambers of commerce coming together, including the ROMG Chamber of Commerce, for an evening of networking in epic proportions; 5 p.m.-7 p.m., $20 per person, at the Pikesville Hilton, 1726 Reisterstown Road,  Pikesville, 21208.

• 3/26: Biz After Biz; 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Harbour School in Owings Mills. Check Web site for details and registration.

• 4/22: Women In Biz group -- High Tea; 4:30 p.m., Gramercy Mansion. See Web site for details or contact the chamber office.

• 4/23: Membership “101”; 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., free at the chamber office. How to get the most out of your chamber membership, for new and seasoned members.

• 5/17: Bloomin’ 5K; stay tuned for details.

For all events -- registration, payment -- be sure to contact the ROMG chamber office directly.

Kirsten Beck of Expressway Office Solutions is the immediate past president of the Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the chamber, call 410-702-7073, e-mail romg@romgchamber.org or go to www.romgchamber.org.

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