By ED SALVAS
Brighter days are ahead for the Greater Ocean Township Chamber of Commerce as the dark days of the Covid 19 pandemic slowly come to an end. That’s the outlook of Chamber President David Kolakowski, who said the picture one year ago was grim.
“When Covid hit we were smacked to the ground. We even considered closing down,” he said.
But the chamber, also known as GOTCC, has a new executive director, Regina Longo, and is planning several events and seeking new members.
Their popular Comedy Night fundraising dinner is coming up Fri., Nov. 19 at the Renaissance in Ocean after being canceled in 2020. There’s a new Master of Ceremonies, DJ Tom DeVoy from Thunder 106-FM’s “Pork Roll & Eggs Morning Show,” and three comedians on the bill for laughs. Comedy night has been a regular GOTCC event for decades and is their biggest fundraiser with the proceeds going toward college scholarships for township students. The event is co-chaired by John “Doc” Amato and Councilman Rob Acerra.
Kolakowski said two events earlier this year, the Scholarship Lunch in June had 65 people and the September Golf Outing had 70 players. He would like to see the Chamber’s current membership of 95 grow to 200 and include more retail businesses.
Kolakowski is now in his third year as president and has plans to bring back the Business Expo in the spring with a focus on health. He’s also considering a series of networking events that would have what he termed “courses” on various topics such as cyber security, social media marketing, improving your online presence, and using Zoom.
Tickets for Comedy Night are $75 and a table of 10 is $700. Visit GOTCC.org to reserve your tickets. Executive Director Regina Longo said they still need gift baskets and gifts of cash to support the cause. Call the Chamber at 732-660-1888 or email gotcc.orgfor details.
