Business & Tech

Chamber Hosts First Member Luncheon in Three Years

Speaker Jo Fredell Higgins of Aurora helped kick off the relaunch of the Chamber's monthly member luncheon program, a chance for businesses to network.

It’s been three years since the Greater Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce held one of its member luncheons.

Perhaps it was the long wait between events, but Tuesday’s re-launched luncheon brought out a who’s who of local business owners and representatives, filling the private banquet room at on Douglas Road.

Jennifer Jones-Sinott, president of the chamber, said it was low attendance that caused the organization to stop the luncheons three years ago, but she had heard from many members that they wanted to see them reinstated. They’ll be happening monthly from now on, she said.

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The speaker at Tuesday’s lunch was Jo Fredell Higgins of Aurora, a Montgomery Patch contributor and author of a on the history of Montgomery. The book, simply titled Montgomery, collects 220 photographs of the village’s past, arranged in a timeline from the earliest settlers to the present day.

Higgins talked about the process of compiling and writing Montgomery, her fifth photo history book, and of crafting her first novel, A Song for Cecilia, which was also released this year. She also gave a capsule history of the village of Montgomery, starting with its namesake, Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War general, and focusing on Daniel Gray, the village’s founder.

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Higgins has another book on Belfast, Ireland in the works, and has also pitched collections of poetry and photographs for future publication. Finding publishers, she said, is still a process.

 “You have to believe in your writing, knowing that what you have to say matters.”  

The Chamber will host another member luncheon on Nov. 22 at on Webster Street. Montgomery retails for $21.99, and can be bought locally at the River View Diner, 1420 SE River Road; Village Hall, 200 N. River Street; the Chamber/MEDC office, 200 Webster Street; and Walgreens, 1212 Ogden Avenue. The book can also be ordered at Barnes and Noble stores, and purchased online at www.arcadiapublishing.com.


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