The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce will present an online Tuesday Talks panel discussion at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 21.

Guest panelists are County Economic Development Coordinator Nate Aldrich, Chautauqua Works’ Katie Geise, Jamestown Community College Workforce Development’s Brian Lebarron, and JCC’s Career Services’ Julie Page. Panelists will touch on the overall job market and workforce status including broad efforts to recruit and retain employees across Chautauqua County.

Tuesday Talks is a one-hour, online-only forum to provide tips and guidance for local business people. All attendees must register through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org/events to get the Zoom link. Tuesday Talks is free and open to all local businesses, whether they are Chamber members or not.

The Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau will hold a free Spring Tourism Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, March 23 in the Carnahan Center at Jamestown Community College. The topic will be “Ramping Up for Seasonal Hiring.”

Speakers for this morning-long in person event will be Cabana Sam’s/Sunset Bay Beach Club owner Kelly Borrello, Chautauqua Harbor Hotel Sales Manager William Hart Frantz, and a panel from Chautauqua Works led by Executive Director Katie Geise and including representatives from the New York State Department of Labor.

To register for the CCVB workshop visit them online at www.tourchautauqua.com/spring-2023-tourism-workshop.

Both the Chamber and CCVB events are being held in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center at JCC.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

JAMESTOWN – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) was in Jamestown Thursday, leading a round table discussion on helping the local workforce with transportation needs.

The discussion at Jamestown Community College included local officials, representatives from local business and manufacturing, and a representative from Uber.

The Congressman and other officials on hand said that having reliable transportation is a concern for many and the discussion at JCC was beneficial as Uber looks toward retooling how people get to work and provide for their families.

“Uber has an incredible history of positive disruption and has been the single biggest player in the transformation of the car service industry,” Reed said. “Getting to work reliably is a concern for many, and today’s discussion was incredibly beneficial as Uber looks toward retooling how people get to work and provide for their families.”

“Transportation has been consistently cited by job seekers and businesses as a barrier to obtaining employment and employees as well as successfully maintaining employment and retaining employees,” Katie Geise, Chautauqua County Workforce Investment Board executive director, said. “Any additional economical transportation options and resources to assist in making such options accessible throughout Chautauqua County will have a positive impact on the area’s workforce.”

County officials said they have the discussion and attention to transportation needs for the local workforce will lead to a solution that is beneficial for local workers and businesses.

The program is entitled From Baby Boomers to Millennials: The Challenge and the Opportunity.

The County Planning Board, local educators, County, and local officials will gather together to hear Katie Geise, Executive Director of Chautauqua Works and John Slenker, Labor Analyst with the New York State Department of Labor, present on the generational shifts in employment that are taking place and how it is affecting Chautauqua County.

For more information on the event, contact the Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Economic Development at 716-661-8922.