Partner Spotlight – Dan Heitzenrater

Daniel Heitzenrater, president & CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce

Each newsletter, we are going to highlight a partner or community organization that is doing great things in our county! 

Starting with Dan Heitzenrater, President of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce. In addition to his work at the Chamber and on the CCIDA & CCPEG boards, he is involved on a number of other local boards including the Jamestown Community College Board of Trustees, Cornell Cooperative Extension Board of Directors, and the Chautauqua County Workforce Investment Board. He is also involved with the Rotary Club of Jamestown, Chautauqua Leadership Network, and Jamestown Skeet Club.

You are now about two years into your position as President of the Chautauqua Chamber of Commerce, how is it going?

It’s going great! Starting in a new role while still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging to navigate, but allowed me to experience and learn to better understand the Chamber operations. It has also been an exciting time, because this transition back to normalcy has demonstrated people’s desire in connecting again. Connection is central to the Chamber’s services, so being able to gather in person and urge consumer foot traffic has allowed us to gain forward momentum again.

What are your goals for this year?

For the Chamber, we underwent a strategic planning process in 2022 so our 2023 goals revolve around implementation of those strategic directions. We haven’t publicly launched any information around that yet, but one specific goal I’m looking forward to working on is clarifying our brand and structure to ourselves, members, and the public. Personal goals for this year include reading more books than last year, and many various home projects. We moved last summer so it’s exciting to make it our own, but hard not to bite off more than we can chew.

You recently joined the CCIDA board and have become Co-Chair of the Partnership for Economic Growth Advisory Board. How do these roles align to your role of supporting small business in Chautauqua County, and what opportunities do you see for continued collaboration in this area?

I mentioned earlier about “connection” being central to our work at the Chamber. I view these roles, and other areas where we can engage with partners as one way that we can bring the perspective and voice of the business community, small business in particular to the table. I’m proud and thankful to have the opportunity to represent our constituency in these roles, and believe it is important to add their voice to the conversation. Overall, whether it’s the work of the IDA on economic development and funding/incentives, or the holistic approach of the Partnership looking at 5 key work groups, our work together is about growing and improving our communities across all sectors which is important for businesses, residents, visitors, and our quality of life.

What Partnership projects do you consider to be the most exciting and/or impactful and why?

It is hard to choose because every project is critical within its focus area. One I am excited about is the technical assistance for municipalities grant, aimed at increasing our competitiveness in future NY DRI and NY Forward funding rounds. Based on my background in municipal government, while strategic planning is recognized as being important, it often falls off the docket due to lack of resources or expertise, and this Partnership program will begin to help address that. Two others include the work around promotion of our trail systems, and our local craft beverage industry. While most locals know what wonderful assets these are, I think they may sometimes be a bit secondary in our overall promotion of our area, so I’m excited to shine more of a spotlight together.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Maybe that outside of the office, I really enjoy working with my hands and having a project to complete. I’m generally interested in a lot of things and tend to dive deep into a topic or hobby when I start looking into it. These include some basic woodworking, yard care and gardening, working on small engines, and many other things around the house.

In addition to my work at the Chamber and on the CCIDA & CCPEG boards, I am involved on a number of other local boards including the Jamestown Community College Board of Trustees, Cornell Cooperative Extension Board of Directors, and the Chautauqua County Workforce Investment Board. I am also involved with the Rotary Club of Jamestown, Chautauqua Leadership Network, and Jamestown Skeet Club.