The Chamber knows that when your bottom line is met, your business profits. Membership provides access to exclusive offers of benefits and services designed to help build your connections, heighten your visibility and provide benefits to your employees. Use the strength and buying power of the Chamber to help stretch your dollars.
Health & Dental Insurance
Offering a variety of health and dental plans to choose from, the Chamber makes health insurance easy and affordable. All plans are coordinated locally by the Chamber's health care administrator, Bouchey & Clarke Benefits, Inc. For more information, contact Debbie Howansky at Bouchey & Clarke Benefits: (518) 720-8888 or [email protected]
On-the-Job Training
The Rensselaer County Department of Employment & Training can help by referring job seekers and/or providing partial reimbursement of training costs for eligible individuals when hired. The procedure is simple and short. The employer completes a one-page company application and then the training agreement is prepared with the assistance of our Employment Specialists. Regular reports include a timesheet and a progress summary of skills attained, submitted once a month. Reimbursement is monthly, upon submission of a timesheet and progress report and is paid directly to the employer. Contact (518) 270-2860 for more information.
WHAT IS OJT?
This program is designed to provide job seekers with greater access to available jobs when a lack of specialized training or experience may prevent capable individuals from obtaining permanent, productive and profitable employment. OJT is intended to assist employers with certain training costs incurred in training.
HOW DOES OJT WORK?
Employers interview and hire eligible individuals who are registered with the Department. The new hire is considered an employee of the company and is subject to all normal rights and benefits applicable to regularly employed, full-time workers. Employers can be reimbursed for up to 50% of the individual's wages for the training period required to achieve the specified skill level for the position.
WHICH EMPLOYERS ARE ELIGIBLE?
Private for-profit companies and not-for-profit employers. Firms must agree to hire and train the eligible job seeker in the skills that are needed for the job and are of lasting value to the trainee.
WHO CAN BE AN OJT TRAINEE?
Unemployed and underemployed residents of the counties of Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady who lack the required experience and/or formal skills training, who are otherwise job-ready applicants. Eligibility of applicants is determined on an individual basis. Please contact us for more information on eligibility.
WHAT KINDS OF TRAINING?
At a minimum training should be designed to provide individuals with the skills needed for standard performance in the company's work force. The training wage must be at least $13.00 per hour for at least 35 hours per week. The duration is based on reasonable training for the position, taking into consideration the individual’s prior experience. The training must be approved by the Department before the candidate starts in the position.
Country Club of Troy Partnership
Chamber members and their employees have the opportunity to join the Country Club of Troy with a significant savings. A variety of membership categories are available, including full facility use for families and individuals, a discounted rate for juniors, corporate membership and more.
The Country Club of Troy extends the following offer to all Chamber members:
- Initiation fee is waived for all members of the Chamber, a value of up to $2,500 per family.
- The first, second, and thirteenth month will be dues free. This includes dues, capital fee and taxes, a value of up to $1,743.12 per family.
Membership is contingent upon the compliance of the Club’s admission policy as stated in the Club’s constitution and by-laws.
New York Small Business Development Center
The New York Small Business Development Center (NYSBDC) provides small business owners and entrepreneurs in New York with the highest quality, pro-bono, confidential business counseling, training, and business research.
Meet with a NYSBDC adviser for a variety of free business consulting, available at the Chamber office every other Thursday.
Certificate of Origin
A Certificate of Origin is an export document certifying that the referenced goods were produced in the United States. The Chamber is pleased to provide Certificates of Origin to Chamber members in good standing as a benefit of membership (free of charge), and to non-members for an administrative fee of $50 per certificate.
Chambers of Commerce have been the official body to issue, sign and stamp Certificates of Origin since the 1923 Geneva Convention. Certificates of Origin are prepared by exporters to verify the origins of overseas exports.
Exporters need to be aware that the only organization that can legitimately issue a certificate of origin is a Chamber of Commerce. Recently foreign companies have become aware of fraud in the issuance of these certificates. U.S., American exports have attracted scrutiny from foreign officials who have been tipped off about fraudulent behavior in the issuance process. The end result is exported item is rejected at port, the company is fined, or the company is banned from doing business in the country again.
Constant Contact Discount
As a member of Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce, you can receive exclusive savings on Constant Contact's entire suite of online tools, including:
- Email Marketing - get your message out and keep your company top-of-mind with your audience.
- Social Campaigns - get new fans on Facebook and keeps you engaged with the fans you already have.
- Event Marketing - put your entire event promotion and registration process online.
- Online Survey - deliver the inside information you need to keep your audience happy and coming back for more!
Sign up for Constant Contact through our representative, Erik Bunaes, and receive a discount of up to 25% - even if you're already a Constant Contact customer!
Erik Bunaes, [email protected], Office: (518) 250-9035, Cell: (518) 522-9917.
Chamber Energy Savings Program
Your Chamber’s EnergyAlliance program gives you the opportunity to reduce your energy bills by providing access to lower rates through aggregation and competitive bidding. There is no cost to sign up, or to participate. Better yet, EnergyNext, the Chamber’s consultant will handle the entire process, ensuring that you get the best rate and experience.
Through the EnergyAlliance, you will be able to secure fixed-rates from several top-tier suppliers who have been carefully selected by EnergyNext to participate in the program. This gives you peace of mind, options, and the opportunity to manage your energy cost and risk over time.
To get started, download and fill out the Rensselaer Chamber Authorization Participation Form. After completing the form, please email back to [email protected] or fax to 518-375-0200 with a current copy of your electric/gas bill for each account. After receiving quotes from top suppliers in the industry, EnergyNext will then prepare an electric/gas pricing proposal for your review.
EnergyNext, Inc., the Chamber’s energy consultant and partner, will handle the entire process and provide aggressive and competitive pricing for all members. For more information, click here.
Conference Rooms
Host a staff retreat, meet a client, or bring your board off site and utilize our conference rooms. Membership in the chamber provides access at no charge to the Chamber's two conference rooms. The downstairs conference room comfortably seats up to 25 and can be configured to your meeting needs. The upstairs conference room seats up to 10. To schedule your time in one of our conference rooms, please contact us at (518) 274-7020.
