Four questions for Ontario County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO
CANANDAIGUA, NY — As the person responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Ontario County Chamber of Commerce and its programming, Tracey Dello Stritto said it’s important for her to get out to businesses in the community, even if it’s just to say, “Hi!”
That’s a sure way to find out what the needs of the business community are, and what Dello Stritto and the Chamber can do to help.
Dello Stritto took over as president and CEO of the Ontario County Chamber of Commerce last October, succeeding Ethan Fogg, who formerly held the role. Dello Stritto comes after the Chamber announced its headquarters was placed on the market, but then decided to stay at its home on Main Street in Canandaigua.
That's before Dello Stritto's time as the "face of the Chamber."
Dello Stritto has been out and about at various functions, including the ribbon cuttings of several businesses, in Canandaigua and outside the city and town borders. The Chamber's annual dinner, at which the organization's awards will be presented to businesses large and small, is from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, at Finger Lakes Community College, and will be Dello Stritto's first at the helm.
On this morning, Dello Stritto is having coffee at Working Class Coffee in Canandaigua and sharing her vision for her role fronting the business organization, before heading to the office for more meetings.
Dello Stritto wants businesses, whether a member of the business organization or not, to know she’s here for them.
How important is that to Dello Stritto?
“One hundred percent important,” said Dello Stritto, who most recently was executive director of The Partnership for Ontario County, a not-for-profit with the mission of creating, supporting and administering alliances to cultivate positive social change.
Back when Dello Stritto’s hire was announced, Chamber board President Michelle Pedzich said the leader must also understand the critical role businesses, government and community leaders play in delivering the Chamber's mission, and be able to build and maintain these important relationships.
"Tracey has all these skills and more as demonstrated by a distinguished career in not-for-profit and business management,” Pedzich stated at the time.
Dello Stritto said her background — she's also worked in the private sector in the Finger Lakes wine industry — enables her to focus on building community, within not just the business sector but within the overall community.
“That’s where I come from,” Dello Stritto said. “That’s my background.”
Here's how Dello Stritto answered four questions. Responses were edited slightly.
Q: What are your short-term goals for the Ontario County Chamber?
Dello Stritto: I think there’s a lot of opportunity to really dig into the smaller communities – Honeoye, Naples – and celebrate the work they’re doing in addition to continuing the work in Geneva, Canandaigua and Victor that are really are our flagships in terms of where our businesses are located.
People are ready to network again. We still do some of that, but I think we can do more that are specific to industry, whether it’s women-owned business or manufacturing focused or hosting an event about AI (artificial intelligence). Who doesn’t want, as a business, to have a conversation about the positives and potential negatives of that?
We try to stay current and bring in people to help engage in these conversations. Those are things I’d love to be able to bring to our membership and our community.
Q: What are your long-term goals for the Ontario County Chamber?
Dello Stritto: Long term is sustainable growth.
Honestly, I would like the Ontario County Chamber to be one of the organizations in the area that really brings solutions.
What can we do to be part of these solutions to all these hard problems that businesses are facing? That’s not a one-industry fix. That’s utilizing education at FLCC. That’s utilizing the county, utilizing municipalities. It’s being collaborative.
I think in the long term, the Chamber can really build itself to a place where they’re at the table and making industry change along with their industry partners.
Q: How does your past experience help lead the Ontario County Chamber?
Dello Stritto: Having worked at The Partnership for Ontario County for five years, it really gave me connections. I know a lot of the players, which is great. I know a lot of the people in county leadership. I know a lot of folks in municipality leadership. I think that’s been advantageous for me as I transition to this role.
Prior to the partnership, I was working in the Finger Lakes wine industry. I’m able to draw on those lived experiences with businesses I worked for, those small mom-and-pop businesses that get up every morning and they’re putting in their hard work and hard-earned money back into their business.
Q: Why is it important for the Ontario County Chamber to maintain its presence on Main Street, Canandaigua?
Dello Stritto: I think it is important because it provides stability as an organization. We have a building. We have an asset. It’s on Main Street. It’s in Canandaigua, the county seat.
The choice to stay is giving us an opportunity to have conversations about potential visitor center spaces. What can we do to help support the community? We’re staying, what can we do to amplify our exposure or what we’re doing as a building on Main Street?
They made the choice to stay. I think it’s a good one and it gives us an opportunity to find out more where we can plug into the community. What other ways can the Chamber support downtown Canandaigua, but also keep our spaces open for Victor, Honeoye, Naples ... We’re really taking a strategic look at what we do with that space.
There are opportunities for us to engage with our members.
Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Tracey Dello Stritto on goals for Ontario County Chamber of Commerce
