﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Greater Valley Chamber Events Newswire</title><link>http://www.greatervalleychamber.com</link><description>News related to Greater Valley Chamber</description><copyright>(c) 2026, Greater Valley Chamber All Rights Reserved.</copyright><ttl>5</ttl><item><title>Coffee Chat: An Introduction to Your Chamber 5/1/2026 8:30 AM - 5/1/2026 9:45 AM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Powering Your Business Strategy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce invites you to a free, in-person gathering to connect directly with our staff and Ambassadors. In 2026, the Chamber remains the vibrant voice of our business community and the region&amp;rsquo;s premier hub for professional growth.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Whether you are an entrepreneur scaling your vision, a professional leading an organization, or a community leader expanding your impact, we are here to help you navigate the year ahead. Our mission is simple: to foster a thriving local economy and a dynamic business environment where everyone wins.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Why attend?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Forge New Connections: Meet fellow members and local professionals in a relaxed setting.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Share Your Story: Introduce your organization and discover new avenues for collaboration.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Go Behind the Scenes: Learn exactly how we advocate for your interests and build partnerships that drive your business forward.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Your membership is more than a line item&amp;mdash;it&amp;rsquo;s a strategic investment. Join us to unlock a wealth of resources, networking opportunities, and skill-building programs designed to make 2026 your most successful year yet.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Ready to take your business to the next level? Join us and experience the Chamber difference!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6626</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:59:58 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Valley Business Network (VBN) 5/6/2026 7:45 AM - 5/6/2026 9:15 AM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;This group is meeting in-person only&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Coffee &amp;amp; General Networking: 7:45 am - 8:00 am; Meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To register to attend: &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com?subject=Attend%20Next%20VBN%20Meeting"&gt;please contact the Chamber Staff facilitator&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Valley Business Network is a category-exclusive networking group that meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. VBN members represent a variety of industries and professions. The group&amp;#39;s objective is to be a forum for relationship building with the goal of helping members to grow their networks. Additionally, VBN helps members become more informed business people, by sharing their expertise and learning from educational presentations provided by members and guest speakers.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Visitors are welcome. For more information on this Business Referral&amp;nbsp;Group&amp;nbsp;contact &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the Chamber&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;today.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please note:&lt;br /&gt;
Greater Valley Chamber membership is required to belong to this referral group.&lt;br /&gt;
VBN membership is by application and acceptance of the Advisory Board. There is a separate yearly membership fee due upon acceptance. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Meeting times/days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc.&lt;br /&gt;
Snow Policy: If Shelton&amp;nbsp;schools&amp;nbsp;are cancelled&amp;nbsp;or delayed, the meeting will be held virtually.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6620</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:56:43 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Tech+ Council: Building your Business's Digital Operations Platform with AI — and for AI 5/7/2026 8:15 AM - 5/7/2026 9:15 AM</title><description>&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Topic:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color:black"&gt;Building your Business&amp;#39;s Digital Operations Platform with AI &amp;mdash; and for AI&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Presenter: Ryan Shultz, &lt;/b&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Manager of Global Operations Technology and Software at Perkin Elmer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:black"&gt;Break free from rigid/expensive third-party SAAS systems. Learn how forward-thinking companies are leveraging AI to rapidly build custom digital operations platforms that serve their exact needs &amp;mdash; while creating a rich data foundation for the next generation of company-specific AI.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:black"&gt;Ryan has&amp;nbsp;10+ years of hands-on experience implementing high-impact &amp;amp; cross-functional technology solutions that transform how businesses operate. I specialize in custom full-stack software development, data architecture, technology infrastructure, and advanced analytics.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;The Tech+ Council was developed to serve as resource of trusted advisors. It is a way to&amp;nbsp;help bring an understanding of&amp;nbsp;how technology can enhance&amp;nbsp;business - and that is not as scary as it may seem. It is&amp;nbsp;a forum&amp;nbsp;for collaboration and innovation for Valley technology leaders as well as a way&amp;nbsp;to bring awareness to &lt;u&gt;local&lt;/u&gt;&amp;nbsp;resources providing support, answers, education, development, and information in the technology fields. The Tech+ Council coordinates regular&amp;nbsp;informative seminars on technology issues affecting area businesses.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Compromised of individuals and companies including but not limited to; Cyber Security, Computer networking, Computer productivity, data usage, internet presence, social media, software training, data analytics and those not in the industry but interested in learning.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The council meets on the first Thursday of each month at 8:15 AM. Membership in the Greater Valley Chamber is required for membership in the group; however, anyone is welcome to come to any meeting to learn more about the group or about the topic of the month.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Meeting times/days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc. Snow Policy: If Shelton&amp;nbsp;schools&amp;nbsp;are cancelled, or delayed, the meeting will be held virtually.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6588</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:19:58 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>WINGO Night 2026 5/12/2026 5:30 PM - 5/12/2026 8:30 PM</title><description>&lt;h2 data-path-to-node="0"&gt;Get Ready for WINGO 2026!&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p data-path-to-node="1"&gt;It&amp;#39;s a night where &amp;quot;B-12&amp;quot; isn&amp;#39;t just a vitamin&amp;mdash;it&amp;rsquo;s your ticket to supporting local entrepreneurs!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-path-to-node="1"&gt;The WIN Council is hosting an upbeat, high-energy &lt;b data-index-in-node="145" data-path-to-node="1"&gt;Wingo Night&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;- a fun twist on Bingo - to fuel their annual Micro-Grant for women-owned businesses in the valley.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-path-to-node="1"&gt;While the cause focuses on empowering women, this party is &lt;b data-index-in-node="282" data-path-to-node="1"&gt;open to everyone (21+)!&lt;/b&gt; Whether you&amp;#39;re a bingo pro or a first-timer, come enjoy a lively atmosphere packed with delicious food, exciting prizes, and a cash bar to keep the good vibes flowing. Between the main games, the raffles, and the high-stakes fun, you&amp;rsquo;ll be playing for more than just a win&amp;mdash;you&amp;rsquo;ll be investing in the heart of our local economy.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-path-to-node="1"&gt;$40 registration fee includes Food &amp;amp; Desserts,1 Board, 1 Door Prize Entry, and 2 Raffle Tickets. Extra boards and raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the event.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-path-to-node="1"&gt;Limited seating. Registration closes May 6th.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p data-path-to-node="1"&gt;Watch for updates about prizes, and more!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6634</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:19:31 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Seeds to Leads Networking Group 5/13/2026 7:45 AM - 5/13/2026 9:00 AM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;This group is meeting in-person only.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To register to attend: &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com?subject=Attend%20Next%20VBN%20Meeting"&gt;please contact the Chamber Staff facilitator&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Seeds to Leads is a category exclusive networking group. Their group goals are to build trusting personal and professional relationships that lead to professional referrals and business success. S2L members hold one another accountable for the services they offer and the professional handling of their cross referrals so they all may continue to grow and prosper. Guest speakers visit to educate them on issues relevant to the times. They meet the 2nd &amp;amp; 4th Wednesday of each month.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Coffee &amp;amp; Informal Networking 7:45 am; Meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please note:&lt;br /&gt;
Greater Valley Chamber Membership is required.&lt;br /&gt;
Guests may attend a meeting prior to joining.&lt;br /&gt;
There is a separate application and fee for the networking group.&lt;br /&gt;
For more information on this Business Referral&amp;nbsp;Group&amp;nbsp;contact &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the Chamber&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;today&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Meeting times/days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc.&lt;br /&gt;
Snow Policy: If Shelton&amp;nbsp;schools&amp;nbsp;are cancelled, or delayed, the meeting will be held virtually.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6608</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:52:25 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Healthcare Council: Elder Financial Exploitation 5/15/2026 8:00 AM - 5/15/2026 9:15 AM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Please join us for our monthly meeting.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Topic: Elder Financial Exploitation&lt;br /&gt;
Presenters: Michelle Dzubina, Derby Branch Manager, Debbie Leclerc, Seymour Branch Manager, Chris Stokes, Business Banking Officer, &amp;amp; Ethan Rand, Manager &amp;amp; Fraud Investigator, Liberty Bank&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Protecting our elders is a collective responsibility. During this presentation experts share their stories and their solutions. By listening to real-world testimonials, they&amp;rsquo;ll demystify how exploitation happens and remove the stigma often felt by victims. They&amp;rsquo;ll provide you with a practical &amp;quot;protection roadmap,&amp;quot; featuring the latest tips on fraud prevention and legal safeguards. Together, we can ensure our loved ones&amp;#39; legacies remain secure.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Anyone interested in learning more about the monthly topic is welcome to attend.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Coffee &amp;amp; informal networking 8:00 am; Meeting &amp;amp; program start promptly at 8:15 am.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you are planning to attend as&amp;nbsp;a guest, please contact &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com"&gt;the Chamber &lt;/a&gt;to confirm the location and to help us with our planning. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Comprised of individuals and companies in the Healthcare Industry including medical, insurance and care services, the Healthcare Council is a committee of the Greater Valley Chamber with a purpose to educate members, the business community, consumers, and government representatives on ways to reduce employee absenteeism costs, increase worker productivity and reduce overall healthcare costs. The Healthcare Council meets the third Friday of each month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please note:&lt;br /&gt;
Membership in the Greater Valley Chamber is required to become a regular member of the group.&lt;br /&gt;
Additional annual&amp;nbsp;fee applies.&amp;nbsp;For more information on the Healthcare Council contact &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com"&gt;the Chamber&lt;/a&gt; today.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Meeting times/days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc. Snow Policy: If&amp;nbsp; Shelton School are cancelled or delayed, the meeting will held virtually only - those who have pre-registered will receive an email with a link to access the online meeting.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6595</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:26:14 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Valley Business Network (VBN) 5/20/2026 7:45 AM - 5/20/2026 9:15 AM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;This group is meeting in-person only&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Coffee &amp;amp; General Networking: 7:45 am - 8:00 am; Meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To register to attend: &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com?subject=Attend%20Next%20VBN%20Meeting"&gt;please contact the Chamber Staff facilitator&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Valley Business Network is a category-exclusive networking group that meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. VBN members represent a variety of industries and professions. The group&amp;#39;s objective is to be a forum for relationship building with the goal of helping members to grow their networks. Additionally, VBN helps members become more informed business people, by sharing their expertise and learning from educational presentations provided by members and guest speakers.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Visitors are welcome. For more information on this Business Referral&amp;nbsp;Group&amp;nbsp;contact &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the Chamber&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;today.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please note:&lt;br /&gt;
Greater Valley Chamber membership is required to belong to this referral group.&lt;br /&gt;
VBN membership is by application and acceptance of the Advisory Board. There is a separate yearly membership fee due upon acceptance. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Meeting times/days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc.&lt;br /&gt;
Snow Policy: If Shelton&amp;nbsp;schools&amp;nbsp;are cancelled&amp;nbsp;or delayed, the meeting will be held virtually.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6621</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:56:54 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Seeds to Leads Networking Group 5/27/2026 7:45 AM - 5/27/2026 9:00 AM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;This group is meeting in-person only.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To register to attend: &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com?subject=Attend%20Next%20VBN%20Meeting"&gt;please contact the Chamber Staff facilitator&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Seeds to Leads is a category exclusive networking group. Their group goals are to build trusting personal and professional relationships that lead to professional referrals and business success. S2L members hold one another accountable for the services they offer and the professional handling of their cross referrals so they all may continue to grow and prosper. Guest speakers visit to educate them on issues relevant to the times. They meet the 2nd &amp;amp; 4th Wednesday of each month.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Coffee &amp;amp; Informal Networking 7:45 am; Meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please note:&lt;br /&gt;
Greater Valley Chamber Membership is required.&lt;br /&gt;
Guests may attend a meeting prior to joining.&lt;br /&gt;
There is a separate application and fee for the networking group.&lt;br /&gt;
For more information on this Business Referral&amp;nbsp;Group&amp;nbsp;contact &lt;a href="mailto:laura@greatervalleychamber.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the Chamber&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;today&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Meeting times/days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc.&lt;br /&gt;
Snow Policy: If Shelton&amp;nbsp;schools&amp;nbsp;are cancelled, or delayed, the meeting will be held virtually.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6609</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:52:42 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>HR Council: Performance Management 5/28/2026 8:00 AM - 5/28/2026 9:00 AM</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Topic: Performance Management&lt;br /&gt;
Presenter: Sandy Hergott, Human Resource Consulting Group&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="line-height:115%"&gt;What&amp;rsquo;s the secret to a thriving workplace? It starts with ensuring every team member feels seen, supported, and set up for success.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="margin-bottom:11px"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12pt"&gt;&lt;span style="line-height:115%"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;We&amp;rsquo;re hosting a special session dedicated to the &amp;quot;how&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;why&amp;quot; of performance management. Beyond the basics, we&amp;rsquo;ll discuss how meaningful feedback loops and goal alignment can transform employee engagement and revitalize your office culture. Join us to learn how to provide the support your team deserves. After all, when your people grow, your business wins&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Coffee/Networking 7:45&amp;nbsp;am - 8:00&amp;nbsp;am; Program starts 8:00 am.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Open to all area businesses - owners, managers, HR professionals and those handling HR for their business and others interested in the monthly topic.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;The goal of the Chamber&amp;#39;s Human Resource Council is to highlight current trends and tools to attract and retain a talented workforce through education and leadership development. The HR Council provides an opportunity for business&amp;nbsp;owners, managers, HR professionals and others handling HR to to keep up with the latest HR trends, gain more knowledge, and meet and connect with your peers. They meet the last Thursday of every month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;Membership in the Greater Valley Chamber is required for membership in the group; however, anyone is welcome to come to any meeting to learn more about the group or about the topic of the month.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Please note: AI note-taking software is not permitted during HR Council meetings. These meetings are not recorded.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:12px;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Meeting times/days may change due to special presentations, holidays, weather, etc. Snow Policy: If Shelton&amp;nbsp;schools&amp;nbsp;are cancelled, or delayed, the meeting will be held virtually.)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><link>https://web.greatervalleychamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=6601</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:42:40 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>