POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (July 26, 2021) – Orange County Chamber of Commerce in Goshen, N.Y., is joining the Board of Directors of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation. The Orange County Chamber of Commerce will be represented by President and CEO, Heather Bell.
“We are excited to work with Heather and her team in Orange County to promote business and spur economic growth in the region. I am proud to sit on the Orange County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and believe Heather will be a great asset to our organization. The Chamber does important work in securing and promoting business in the county and I look forward to continuting to work with them through HVEDC,” said Michael Oates, President & CEO of HVEDC.
Heather Bell is both an accomplished corporate leader and small business owner who brings a truly unique perspective to a meaningful discussion on small business success, having been both “employer” and “employee” during her business career.
Heather graduated from Berkeley College in White Plains NY with a AAS in Business Administration with a concentration in Customer Service. She went on to earn her BAS from Nyack College majoring in Organizational Management. Bell began her career at Heineken USA in corporate affairs where she was able to fine tune her community and government affairs skills, working on projects such as Days of Giving and managing the organizations Political Action Committee. She accredits the Crisis Management Training from the international brewer to much of her success in business.
Bell decided to flex her entrepreneurial muscles in 2012, when she left the corporate arena and began a successful event planning business as President of A Perfect Plan. There is no one more demanding than today’s bride; Bell has hundreds of thank you letters and accolades from many a happy new Mr and Mrs as well as the sometimes-challenging mother of the bride too! Bell is well skilled at building successful relationships under pressure. A Perfect Plan was the recipient of two Best of Westchester awards, as well as The Knot and Wedding Wire.
Giving back to the community has always been a priority for Bell, who has volunteered and served in leadership positions for Hope’s Door, Wounded Warrior Project and The Food Bank for Westchester, as well as a 13-year commitment to East Fishkill Roller Hockey’s Board of Directors where as President she realized tremendous growth of the league. Bell decided to parlay her love of philanthropy into a challenging position as the Associate Executive Director at the YMCA White Plains where her daily challenge was to grow membership for a gym and day care center in a Y who most recently had been the site of a tragic event. Membership grew and Bell was promoted to Executive Director in 2018. During her time at the Y she was most proud of her role as Advisor to the Youth and Government program that she lead to state-wide awards three consecutive years.
She departed the Y network in 2019 to join the Orange County Chamber of Commerce team as Director of Membership. In that capacity she had been responsible for the roll out of new programs such as Meet the Member and Membership Loyalty Rewards Program, all focused on building the networks of the local businesses that the chamber serves. And did we mention that membership has grown under her watchful eye—even during a pandemic?! She currently serves as President & CEO.
Heather Bell is well versed in not only survive but thrive in our post-pandemic business environment. She is a wealth of practical tips and tricks and is a pro at mentoring small businesses on how to build a strong foundation of successful relationships that allow business to grow and prosper in an upbeat, humorous and impactful way.
About Orange County Chamber of Commerce:
The Orange County Chamber of Commerce leads the way creating and supporting an environment in which business will succeed and the quality of life is enhanced.
With nearly 800 members, the Orange County Chamber is the leading supporter of business in the Hudson Valley region. Legislative advocacy, pro-active referrals, extensive member services, networking opportunities, seminars, special events and more make the Orange County Chamber one of the best business investments in the Hudson Valley.
About Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC)
HVEDC is the leading economic development agency for the seven-county region of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties. The public-private partnership markets the region as a prime business location to corporate executives, site-selection consultants and real estate brokers. HVEDC helped start the organizational, branding and promotional effort for NY BioHud Valley, Hudson Valley 3D Printing and the Hudson Valley Food & Beverage Alliance. To learn more, call (845) 220-2244 or visit HVEDC.com.
