Page 4 • Wednesday , February 8 , 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette
Chamber , MainStreet help make Hammonton a vibrant town
CHAMBER , from Page 1 filled with highlights and are both
looking forward to more positive events and memories in 2017 . Cassie iacovelli has been the executive director of MainStreet Hammonton for about nine years , helping to ensure downtown Hammonton remains the destination it has become in recent years . With the help of MainStreet Hammonton ’ s four committees — outreach , design , economic restructuring and promotions — iacovelli said she is pleased with the downtown ’ s recent ability to recruit and sustain businesses .
“ Overall , i think it was a good year . i ’ m very pleased with the look of the downtown ... i am pleased with the ability to continue to recruit business but also to retain businesses … Ultimately , our goal always is going to be to retain businesses , and i am very relieved that we ’ ve had some businesses stay in business for quite a while . that is very encouraging in a continually challenged county economic environment ,” iacovelli said . according to iacovelli , just as important as the position she holds are the consistent volunteer efforts that allow for MainStreet to run so smoothly . this same support is
AED fundraising at Maplewood this month
HaMMONtON — february is american Heart Month . the atlantiCare Heart Heroes will partner with the Maplewood inn , located at 470 S . White Horse Pike in Hammonton , to bring lifesaving aeDs to the community . the Maplewood in Hammonton will donate a portion of its sales each Monday in february , to the atlanti- Care Heart Heroes program . the atlantiCare Heart Heroes is an atlantiCare foundation-funded program that places aeDs ( automated external defibrillators ) in the community on behalf of the Heart institute at atlantiCare regional Medical Center , Pomona .
“ We ’ re proud of our food and of our ties to the community ,” owner Jim italiano , who had his staff trained in CPr and worked with atlantiCare to install aeDs in the Maplewood ’ s Hammonton and Mays Landing locations through the atlantiCare Heart Heroes Matching funds Program , said . the atlantiCare Heart Heroes program began in 2002 , spurred by a small group of dedicated atlanti- Care volunteers , who were known as “ the Heart Heroes ,” who raised funds to help atlantiCare make aeDs available in the community . through the aeD Heart Heroes partnership , atlantiCare has placed more than 200 aeDs in the community . as of august 22 , 2016 , atlanti- Care had placed 200 aeDs in community and business locations in southern New Jersey through the Heart Heroes Matching funds Program . atlantiCare has placed aeDs in atlantic , Camden , Cape May , Gloucester and Ocean counties through the program . the current cost of an aeD is $ 1,400 . through the matching funds program , atlantiCare contributes $ 700 , and the recipient organization contributes the remaining portion . in some cases , other organizations donate the matching funds . for information on the atlanti- Care Heart Heroes , call 404-7979 . for more information about Joe ’ s Maplewood , call 561-9621 . for individuals unable to attend the Maplewood ’ s february fundraiser but interested in supporting the Heart Heroes program , visit www . atlanticare . org / giving .
more of a highlight to her than any event or festival could ever be .
“ the biggest highlight is always going to be the continued support that i receive from the volunteers . the MainStreet program is about the community being invested in their downtown , and i just have a tremendous buy-in from our volunteer base and i ’ m very , very encouraged by that , as well as the people that live here that are willing to get involved in the four different committees that we have . they do so much ; they make it possible to do the things that we do ,” iacovelli said .
Looking ahead to 2017 , iacovelli said MainStreet ’ s main goal is to continue to make the program sustainable through the acquisition of grants and sponsorships to improve the town ’ s planned events . a significant sponsorship recently came to MainStreet Hammonton when the Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce — which iacovelli said MainStreet has a “ very positive ” relationship with — recently agreed to be the primary sponsor of the monthly downtown third thursday festivities for 2017 .
“ i ’ m so grateful [ for the Chamber of Commerce ] … i think their willingness to be one of my sponsors for an event that is really important to our outreach to the regional area — which is third thursday — says a lot about the good partnership that we have working together ,” iacovelli said .
Working towards the same goal as iacovelli and MainStreet Hammonton is the Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce and its executive director , John runfolo . the chamber aims to promote business and improve the quality of life in the Hammonton area and the general surrounding area .
Some of the biggest events the chamber of commerce organizes include the John W . Mazzeo Golf tournament , the chamber ’ s annual installation and awards Banquet , the international Wine and Beer expo and most notably , the red , White and Blueberry festival . the chamber is also dedicated to promoting a positive business atmosphere and a community that is continually growing . Currently , more than 100 local businesses are affiliated with the Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce . runfolo listed some of the highlights of 2016 as town engineering firm adams , rehmann and Heggan ( arH ) associates moving its offices into the former first federal Savings & Loan / Bank of america building on Bellevue avenue , fair trade boutique Herban Legend returning to Hammonton and Kevin rodio , of Spellcaster Productions , purchasing St . Martin de Porres Church as the site of the upcoming Kathedral event Center , and said the chamber will aim to continue to help stimulate the town ’ s economy and quality of life going forward .
“ Our goal is to keep the economy vibrant , improve the quality of life , and we do that through various events — some are obviously business orientated , some of them are more just town-oriented and quality-of-life-oriented ,” runfolo said . in an area ( atlantic County ) where socioeconomic conditions have been less than ideal in recent years , runfolo commended Hammonton ’ s bustling business climate in the midst of uncertain times .
“ things are tough in atlantic County with respect to a lot of people attached to the casinos — and we ’ ve lost casinos . Consequently , it does trickle down , so we ’ ve somehow stayed ahead of the curve with some good businesses coming in with a lot of small business and big business ,” runfolo said . the efforts of the Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce and MainStreet Hammonton are widely-documented by local residents , but runfolo said they do not go unnoticed outside of town either . everywhere he goes , he said he encounters people “ fawning over ” the town of Hammonton as a destination and applaud the efforts its organizations make in planning various events .
“ When i travel around to the conferences , meetings and any other thing , they always make mention of Hammonton and what a pleasant place it is . they love to shop here , they love to go to the theater , they stop by a festival ; they come for all the restaurants , the shops , and they just always have a glowing recommendation to stop ,” runfolo said . for more information about the Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce or MainStreet Hammonton , visit www . hammontonnj . us or www . downtownhammonton . com .