Unmasked and happy, Annual Chamber breakfast saw a lot of smiles

Former Chairman of the Board of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Alan Johnson shows off the commemorative plaque he received from incoming chair Janet Oliver. (Rochester Voice photos)

ROCHESTER - The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Meeting Breakfast today, officially welcoming its new Chairperson of the Board of Directors and thanking its former chair, who worked two years straight as the chamber sought to navigate through the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic.

Janet Oliver of Unitil, in her first pubic appearance as the new chairperson, thanked former chair Alan Johnson of Breezeline, whose tenure was interrupted by the pandemic less than three months after taking the helm in January 2020.

Chamber President and CEO Laura Ring also thanked Johnson not only for his commitment to staying onboard the extra year but also for his inimitable sense of humor that helped keep things light during a very dark time.

Oliver said Johnson "led and guided us through the past two years filled with so many unknowns."

She also thanked Breezeline for "providing Alan with the time and resources to chair the board both years."

"Alan is a great role model for me," Oliver added. "His dedication and caring attitude is something I will strive to continue."

Ring also brought the chamber membership up to speed on the health and welfare of the chamber, noting that during the pandemic they did lose about 10 percent of their members due to a host of reasons.

"But we're on our way back though with more members coming onboard this year," she said.

Frisbie CEO Tim Jones affirmed HCA's commitment to Rochester and brought chamber members up to speed on improvements the hospital group has recently made.

The host of the breakfast was Frisbie Memorial Hospital, whose CEO Tim Jones took time out to give credit to the hospital's culinary staff who put on a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, and stunning cornbeef hash that featured potatoes and carrots.

Jones also briefed the chamber on the hospital's resurgence after losing multiple primary care providers last year.

He said they are now only one primary care doctor away from being at full capacity and that in recent months they have welcomed 900 new patients to Frisbie-based practices.

He also referenced $32 million of investment in the hospital's new MRI machine, the establishment of a pharmacy clean room, a new ED behavioral health pod and a new breast imaging center.

"We are committed to investing in the community," he said. "We're here to stay."