Morris County Chamber of Commerce
  • About
    • Chamber Team
    • Our Mission
    • The President's Desk
    • Morris Business Cabinet
    • Board of Directors
    • What Members Are Saying >
      • Share a Testimonial
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Forums & Committees >
      • Committee Chair and Vice Chair Application
      • Ambassadors Council >
        • Ambassadors-Only Resources
      • Business Development Forum
      • Business Strategy & Tactics Forum
      • Environmental & Sustainability Forum
      • Government Affairs
      • Health & Wellness Forum
      • Hispanic Affairs Council
      • Human Resources Committee
      • Not For Profit Roundtable >
        • 2021 NFP Excellence Award Honorees
        • Nonprofit Donations
        • Not For Profit Conference Scholarship App
      • Real Estate Forum
      • Tech Talk Forum
      • Women in Business Program
      • Young Professionals Forum
    • Staff Forms - Internal Use Only
  • Why Join?
    • Join Our Chamber
    • Retail Restaurant Membership
    • Member Benefits
    • The Value of Membership >
      • Grow Your Business
      • Build Your Brand
      • Professional Development & Education
      • Government Advocacy
      • Community Outreach & Volunteering
    • Grand Opening Support
    • Member Marketing Opportunities
    • Enhance Your Directory Listing
    • Member to Member Deals
    • Member Referral Bonus
    • Connect to Morris Job Bank
  • Events
    • Chamber Event Calendar
    • Member Events Calendar
    • 100th Annual Meeting Program
    • Signature Events & Programs
    • Submit an Idea for an Event
  • Find A Member
    • Searchable Business Directory
    • Nonprofit Organizations >
      • Not for Profit Spotlight
    • Professional Services >
      • Accounting, Auditing and Related Services
      • Advertising, Marketing and Related Services
      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Attorneys and Legal Services
      • Architectural, Engineering and Surveying Services
      • Banking and Financial Services
      • Business Consulting and Professional Services
    • Retail, Restaurants, & Service Providers >
      • Arts & Entertainment
      • Auto / Trucks
      • Catering & Food Products
      • Child Care & Day Care
      • Cleaning Services
      • Contractors
      • Decorating & Organizing Services
      • Environmental Services & Recycling
      • Event Planning
      • Farm & Agriculture
      • Fitness & Wellness
      • Health Care
      • Home & Garden
      • Hotels & Conference Centers
      • Moving & Storage
      • Personal Development & Coaching
      • Pet Care
      • Photography & Video Services
      • Restaurants & Bars
      • Retail Stores
      • Senior Care & Related Services
      • Shipping & Delivery
      • Travel & Leisure
    • Higher Education Partners
  • News & Info
    • Member Exchange Online Community
    • Chamber Magazines
    • Coronavirus News
    • Business Resources
    • News Around the Chamber >
      • Submit a Press Release
      • Submit a Neighbors Helping Neighbors Story
    • MCCC Blog >
      • Contribute to Our Blog
    • Chamber Newsletters
    • Social Media
  • Programs
    • Economic Development Corp.
    • Executive Council Program
    • Women in Business Executive Round Table
    • Morris Chamber Toastmasters
    • Mentor Morris
    • Entrepreneur Roundtable
    • Morris Mastermind
    • Leadership Morris >
      • Leadership Morris FAQs
      • Leadership Morris Application
      • Leadership Morris Program
      • Leadership Morris Alumni Council
    • Thrive Morris
    • Work-Based Learning Internship Program
  • MCTV
    • MCCC On-Demand
    • MCTV Let's Talk
    • Actionable Advice Video Library
    • Member Spotlights
  • Member Login

MCCC Blog

Click Here to submit an article for our blog. 
Note: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce.

Coming Home

10/4/2020

 
Picture
Wendy Long’s first day as director of member relations at the Morris County Chamber of Commerce was the day Gov. Phil Murphy ordered all non-essential businesses to shut in response to the COVID-19 virus, including the chamber. Welcome to your new job, Wendy. Fortunately for  her – and for the chamber members who have since been seeing a lot of her – Long has enjoyed a long relationship with the chamber and was able to hit the ground running even during a pandemic. 
Long’s journey to her new position began in 2010 when she launched Always Best Care, an in-home care service for senior citizens. She immediately joined the chamber as a way to create a network and grow her business. “I could see the Morris County Chamber was robust and had a lot to offer,” she said. Long became a “serial networker” and within two years was asked to become a chamber ambassador.  “I really believed in the culture of members helping members,” she said. “I wanted to be someone who, if you came to me and I couldn’t provide you with what you needed, I could still help you through my network.” That sense of helping others has long been engrained in Long. A lifelong Morris County resident, she volunteered as a Candy Striper at Riverside Hospital in high school and later at an assisted living facility, both in Boonton. It was also why Long left her original career in IT after 22 years at Prudential. “It was a very good career path but it wasn’t really my passion,” she said. “You want to wake up every morning and have a passion for what you do. I always wanted to be in the health care space and I had fallen in love with senior care when I was young.”

​That led to Always Best Care, which in turn looped Long back to Saint Clare’s in 2018 as senior care liaison. In that position, she used her network to get the hospital more involved with the chamber and help them build out a robust senior program. Two years later, when the opportunity to become director of member relations arose at the chamber, Long jumped at it. “It just made sense,” she said. “In this position my passion focuses on member engagement. There are a lot of members at the chamber who are not as engaged as they could be because they don’t know what the chamber has to offer. Or a company might join and there is a staffing change and it’s a matter of re-engagement. “There are endless opportunities to connect and build relationships and grow your business. But the effort you put in is equal to what you get back.” Long also is responsible for member recruitment, which is a natural fit for her because of her belief in the chamber’s mission of connecting members.

“I really get a lot of pride and satisfaction out of helping others,” she said. In the weeks following the closure of non-essential businesses, doing that entailed a lot of virtual interaction with and support of members for Long and the rest of the chamber staff. She and Mike Stanzilis, the chamber’s vice president of business development, have been hosting countless online networking events through Zoom. Long said they are learning valuable lessons in the process. “We’re finding there will be some things we’ll keep in place,” she said. “We were always of the mindset if we’re going to network it has to be in person. We’ve learned it doesn’t have to be. So there are some positive things coming out of all this.” Nevertheless, Long looks forward to being able to interact with members face to face again. It will feel like home. 

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019

    Categories

    All
    Around The Chamber
    Business Advice
    Business Development
    Business Edge Magazine
    Chamber News
    Coaching
    Entrepreneurs
    Events
    Finance
    Government Affairs
    Health & Wellness
    IT
    Leadership Morris
    Legal
    Manufacturing
    Marketing
    Message From The President
    Nonprofit
    Real Estate
    Sales Strategy
    Seniors
    Strategic Planning
    Women In Business

    RSS Feed

    Please Note: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce.

JOIN Us
REGISTER for Events
FIND a Business
EXCHANGE Ideas
CONTACT Us
YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR MISSION!  Membership keeps you connected to timely information, business resources and your fellow members - now virtually!  You can rely on us.  
We rely on you, too. Your investment in membership provides a stable foundation that allows us to support you: the people who power Morris County's business community!

Picture
Copyright 2021 | All Rights Reserved
MCCC+EDC
325 Columbia Turnpike
​​Suite 101
Florham Park, NJ 07932 
​973.539.3882        ​(MAP)  
Mission: The Morris County Chamber of Commerce collaboratively advances the interests of its members to champion a thriving business and community environment.
Vision: Creating member experiences that foster exceptional business success and quality of life.
  • About
    • Chamber Team
    • Our Mission
    • The President's Desk
    • Morris Business Cabinet
    • Board of Directors
    • What Members Are Saying >
      • Share a Testimonial
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Forums & Committees >
      • Committee Chair and Vice Chair Application
      • Ambassadors Council >
        • Ambassadors-Only Resources
      • Business Development Forum
      • Business Strategy & Tactics Forum
      • Environmental & Sustainability Forum
      • Government Affairs
      • Health & Wellness Forum
      • Hispanic Affairs Council
      • Human Resources Committee
      • Not For Profit Roundtable >
        • 2021 NFP Excellence Award Honorees
        • Nonprofit Donations
        • Not For Profit Conference Scholarship App
      • Real Estate Forum
      • Tech Talk Forum
      • Women in Business Program
      • Young Professionals Forum
    • Staff Forms - Internal Use Only
  • Why Join?
    • Join Our Chamber
    • Retail Restaurant Membership
    • Member Benefits
    • The Value of Membership >
      • Grow Your Business
      • Build Your Brand
      • Professional Development & Education
      • Government Advocacy
      • Community Outreach & Volunteering
    • Grand Opening Support
    • Member Marketing Opportunities
    • Enhance Your Directory Listing
    • Member to Member Deals
    • Member Referral Bonus
    • Connect to Morris Job Bank
  • Events
    • Chamber Event Calendar
    • Member Events Calendar
    • 100th Annual Meeting Program
    • Signature Events & Programs
    • Submit an Idea for an Event
  • Find A Member
    • Searchable Business Directory
    • Nonprofit Organizations >
      • Not for Profit Spotlight
    • Professional Services >
      • Accounting, Auditing and Related Services
      • Advertising, Marketing and Related Services
      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Attorneys and Legal Services
      • Architectural, Engineering and Surveying Services
      • Banking and Financial Services
      • Business Consulting and Professional Services
    • Retail, Restaurants, & Service Providers >
      • Arts & Entertainment
      • Auto / Trucks
      • Catering & Food Products
      • Child Care & Day Care
      • Cleaning Services
      • Contractors
      • Decorating & Organizing Services
      • Environmental Services & Recycling
      • Event Planning
      • Farm & Agriculture
      • Fitness & Wellness
      • Health Care
      • Home & Garden
      • Hotels & Conference Centers
      • Moving & Storage
      • Personal Development & Coaching
      • Pet Care
      • Photography & Video Services
      • Restaurants & Bars
      • Retail Stores
      • Senior Care & Related Services
      • Shipping & Delivery
      • Travel & Leisure
    • Higher Education Partners
  • News & Info
    • Member Exchange Online Community
    • Chamber Magazines
    • Coronavirus News
    • Business Resources
    • News Around the Chamber >
      • Submit a Press Release
      • Submit a Neighbors Helping Neighbors Story
    • MCCC Blog >
      • Contribute to Our Blog
    • Chamber Newsletters
    • Social Media
  • Programs
    • Economic Development Corp.
    • Executive Council Program
    • Women in Business Executive Round Table
    • Morris Chamber Toastmasters
    • Mentor Morris
    • Entrepreneur Roundtable
    • Morris Mastermind
    • Leadership Morris >
      • Leadership Morris FAQs
      • Leadership Morris Application
      • Leadership Morris Program
      • Leadership Morris Alumni Council
    • Thrive Morris
    • Work-Based Learning Internship Program
  • MCTV
    • MCCC On-Demand
    • MCTV Let's Talk
    • Actionable Advice Video Library
    • Member Spotlights
  • Member Login