Welcome our new Executive Director Leslie Civitello!

The Newington Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to introduce you to our new Executive Director Leslie Civitello!

Leslie brings with her several years of experience working with the Wethersfield Chamber, as well as being an active volunteer in the town of Wethersfield. Tiffany had a minute to ask her what about the Newington, Executive Director position most interested her.

Here is her reply:

“I thought that my coming here would be the next logical step since leaving the Wethersfield Chamber. Newington has a larger and more active membership, additional networking programs, and a larger geographic area. I see Newington’s several business districts as one of the towns’ many strengths. I love that the Chamber has the ability to unite all of these businesses under one common umbrella.”

One thing the past year has taught us, is that we are resilient. We are not afraid to adapt or change our way of thinking in order to stay afloat. The pandemic has changed the way we do business – but the end goal is still the same: To be successful. Many small companies and restaurants continue the fight to keep their doors open, and they need help letting people know that they are still working and accepting orders, and are willing to serve their customers.

The Chamber’s extremely popular Wednesday am networking meeting has been moved to Zoom. The Women’s networking group and The Board meetings are moved to Zoom. There are Facebook posts, Instagram posts, and newsletters all able to reach thousands of people in a few minutes. Throughout the pandemic we haven’t lost the ability to connect with each other and make those Business connections that so many of us need to survive in our jobs.

We are planning a year filled with pandemic favorites like Virtual Bingo and the popular Drive-in Movie night. We are optimistic for holding the summer and fall outdoor events to help connect the community with the businesses, but only if it is possible to be successful and safe for all. We have learned a lot about ourselves from this pandemic, now we need to use that knowledge to support the community and each other for the future challenges that lay ahead.

I am excited to be a part of the Newington Chamber of Commerce. Please feel free to reach out to me at any point via email: office@newingtonchamber.com or leave a voice mail at 860-666-2089. My hours are split now between the office, zoom calls and appointments.”