Some Fuel In the Chamber

The York County Chamber of Commerce held its CHAMBERfuel kickoff in February at the Elks Club in York City. CHAMBERfuel is a brand new network of young professionals interested in expanding business connections in downtown York and beyond. The Chamber is dedicated to attracting and retaining young talented people in the York area.

I attended the CHAMBERfuel Market Mixer at York’s Central Market yesterday and was wowed by the turnout. Tom Donley, President of the Chamber said that Central Market York was chosen to host the event because of its recent revitalization and new energy.

Attendees sampled the creations of Central Market Vendors including The Busy Bee, Nuts About Granola, Chilly Dilly’s and Under One Sun to name a few. Andrew Barnes, owner of The Busy Bee shared samples of his Fire Cracker Chicken, which he describes as “an explosion of flavor”, and I concur. It’s typically served at his market stand over a bed of gourmet salad greens with a roasted sesame vinaigrette. Dylan Bauer, owner of Chilly Dilly’s Ice Cream has been a Central Market vendor since November 2009. He said that he decided to participate in the CHAMBERfuel event as a way to get folks excited about ice cream. He generated plenty of excitement at the Mixer by mingling with the crowd with a tray of Pineapple Mango samples in hand. In addition to the Market stand, Chilly Dilly’s owns and operates six ice cream trucks that circulate throughout York County in the Spring and Summer.

Sarah Lanphier, owner of Nuts About Granola has been a Central Market vendor for about two years and was sharing samples of her fruit and yogurt parfaits. Sarah and her all natural granola have been featured on the Rachael Ray Show. Nuts About Granola will celebrate its second anniversary in June.

Organic Smoothies were featured by Under One Sun, a Sustainable Eatery in Market owned and operated by Jolene Kohr. Jolene told me that she decided to participate in the Market Mixer, seeing it as a great opportunity for networking. Ingredients for Jolene’s tasty & healthy creations come almost exclusively from other Central Market vendors.

An impressive line up of organizations of interest to young professionals were scattered throughout the Market Mixer space. The York Sports and Social club was recruiting members for kickball teams and other fun events. York Young Professionals was recruiting members and sharing information about their upcoming Home Tour slated for May 7th. Leadership York, Rotary Club of York and the American Red Cross were among other organizations mixing it up in the market house.

Melany, age 30, found out about the Market Mixer through her employer, Members First Credit Union. She said that she is always looking for networking opportunities and the Market Mixer was a great opportunity to meet other young professionals. Kim, age 29 also from Members First was sampling chicken salad from Bair’s Fried Chicken in Central Market. She told me that she is planning to join York Young Professionals.

Annette Fisher, manager of Central Market was instrumental in organizing the CHAMBERfuel Market Mixer event. She expressed gratitude to the market vendors for coming together to provide such a tasty experience for attendees. Annette was excited about the opportunity to partner with the Chamber to put on an event that would benefit so many organizations, businesses and individuals. She said Central Market would be happy to host more events like the Market Mixer in the future.

Kim Walsh-Phillips, President of Inside Out Creative, is the incoming Chair of CHAMBERfuel. Membership in CHAMBERfuel is currently at about 80 members. She said she is looking forward to quarterly meetings with all the young professional groups in the area. The goal of those meetings will be to share ideas and to create a master calendar of events of interest to young professionals.

The Chamber estimated that over 300 people attended yesterday’s Market Mixer. The room was alive with energy and opportunity. Tom Donley, President of the Chamber said that he shares the vision along with many others for a “vibrant after-hours downtown York”. With one corner of the Central Market House packed, lots of smiles and handshakes exchanged, CHAMBERfuel is another representation of the good things happening in York City.