May 4, 2006
For Immediate Release

DiPrete Appointed Chair of the Chamber's Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee

Northbridge, MA: Mark Anderson, President of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, recently appointed Board Director Megan DiPrete to be the Chair of the newly re-constituted Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee.

"Ms. DiPrete brings invaluable professional expertise and knowledge to this position," Anderson said. "She has been a member of the Board of Directors for almost a year, and active with the Chamber's economic development efforts for many years before that. I have every confidence that she will drive this Committee and the Chamber's member towns and businesses toward sustainable and balanced growth and development opportunities," he added.

Jeff Ritter, Executive Director of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce said, "now that the Committee has a Chairman, I anticipate she will quickly fill the Committee positions with 7 people representing the Blackstone Valley's communities and economic/industry bases. The Chamber hopes to establish an information-sharing network with the town planners and managers throughout the Blackstone Valley and, when requested, partner with various stakeholders to help identify barriers impeding economic growth and facilitate and a dialog between developers, communities and residents during the local permitting process."

"The challenges for the Blackstone Valley are many," according to DiPrete. She said that there are already a number of tasks identified for this new Committee to accomplish, including the public-private communication network that Executive Director Jeff Ritter described. "Ultimately," she said, "the Chamber's Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee will be a place where current members, future businesses and municipal government can get information and assistance regarding sound development activity that advances local and regional agendas."

# # #

About the Chamber

The Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce serves the Blackstone River Valley's eleven member towns in Massachusetts: Blackstone, Douglas, Grafton, Hopedale, Mendon, Millbury, Millville, Northbridge, Sutton, Upton, and Uxbridge. The mission of the chamber is to promote the economic vitality of the Blackstone Valley, meet the needs of the Chamber's business members, while providing leadership on issues which impact the economy and quality of life in the Valley.