Advocacy: The Greater Haverhill Chamber's Initiatives
The Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce participates in a wide variety of formal and ad hoc initiatives that are designed to have a positive impact on the communities we serve in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Team Haverhill
Team Haverhill is an independent, non-partisan, citizen action group dedicated to making Haverhill a better place to live, work and play. Team Haverhill is funded by the Greater Haverhill Foundation and the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce under the Community Arts & Education grant. Some of Team Haverhill’s Successes include:
Downtown Murals Project
Farmers Market
Shoe-la-bration
Creative Haverhill
Creative Haverhill combines the talents of five major entities in a first-of-its-kind collaboration: the City of Haverhill, the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, the Haverhill Cultural Council, Haverhill's Cultural Treasures, and Team Haverhill. The strategic plan for Creative Haverhill uses our local cultural assets to make downtown more attractive for residents and to encourage visits from cultural tourists.
The efforts of Creative Haverhill will result is more people eating in downtown restaurants, shopping at local businesses, using the new parking garage, and sharing the experience of an outdoor concert on a summer evening. Creative Haverhill will boost our creative economy. Creative Haverhill will enhance the education of our children, inspire our residents, advance our sense of community pride and, ultimately, spur economic revitalization.
Small Business Roundtable - State of Massachusetts
Jim Jajuga, President/CEO of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce sits
on the Small Business Roundtable created by Governor Deval Patrick and his
senior Economic Development team for the Commonwealth. We are only one of
two Chambers represented on the Committee. The Small Business Roundtable meets twice a month to discuss economic development issues and strategies for the Commonwealth. Jim has been representing the Merrimack Valley business community on this committee since its inception in June 2009.
Tax Classification - City of Haverhill
The Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs
Committee actively meets with Haverhill City Councilors and Haverhill City Assessor Steve Gullo to review and advocate for the business community's tax rate to be more evenly assigned with the residential tax rate. The City of Haverhill has a "split tax rate" in which Haverhill businesses are taxed at a higher rate than homeowners. In 2008 the Chamber was victorious holding business taxes steady.
Riverwalk Funding
The Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce with the leadership of President Jim Jajuga to secure funding for a Riverwalk in Haverhill. After several meetings with State Senator Steven Baddour, Jajuga announced that there has been an earmark of $10 Million dollars in the Transportation Bond Bill for a Riverwalk in Haverhill. The Riverwalk would extend from the Comeau Bridge to the Basiliere Bridge and complete the loop that connects the Haverhill side of the Merrimack River to the Bradford Side, which is already designated as a Rail/Trail by the Commonwealth.
Committee Activities
Mayor Fiorentini's Haverhill Parking Garage Committee
Plaistow Economic Development Committee
Close Relationships
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
The Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council
The Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board
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