Group Gives Diverse Business Population A Unified Voice

The business community in Ramsey is different from its counterparts in surrounding towns. That, according to Rob Tilton of , January Bourke of Oritani Bank, and Mark Gatto of , is why it needs to foster itself.

The three, along with a small, dedicated group of borough business owners, have been working since July to cultivate the new Ramsey Chamber of Commerce.

“Ramsey is a big enough community and has enough businesses that it should have an organization connecting the businesses to one another,” Bourke said.

The goal of the new Chamber is two-fold: to form stronger relationships between the businesses in town, and to advocate to the town on behalf of the business community as a whole.

The first Ramsey Chamber was formed in 1925, and disbanded in the 1980’s. Since then, several attempts have been made to form town-specific business associations, none of which had staying power.

Planning for the “two months young” Chamber, as Bourke calls it, began a few years ago when Tilton approached borough government leadership with the idea. The group now has the backing of the mayor and borough council.

In past iterations of the Ramsey Chamber, “the diversity [among businesses in Ramsey] was our biggest problem,” Gatto said. “You've got Main Street, but you’ve also got Franklin Turnpike and Route 17. Small mom-and-pop shops to big chain stores. We want to address everybody’s needs, and encourage all of them to work together.”

So far, the Chamber has over 70 members. One of its major initiatives right now, the group said, is to spread the word about the organization and continue to grow its membership.

“None of us started this for selfish reasons,” Bourke said. “We all really need to be a family because businesses in town should support each other. None of us want empty storefronts.”

According to Tilton, the Chamber is looking to be "really local," so members must either own a brick-and-mortar location in Ramsey, run a business from a home in Ramsey, or do 50 percent or more of its business in Ramsey, in order to join.

The Chamber will be a part of both Ramsey Day, which is September 8, and the Taste of Ramsey, happening September 30 at the Ramsey Farmers Market.

Get more information at the Chamber’s website and Facebook page.

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