Chamber members celebrate season at holiday gathering

Posted 12/31/13

The Hillsgrove Lobby-Bar inside Warwick’s Hampton Inn & Suites was overflowing with people wearing personalized nametags Dec. 11. They weren’t victims of cancelled flights at T.F. Green Airport …

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Chamber members celebrate season at holiday gathering

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The Hillsgrove Lobby-Bar inside Warwick’s Hampton Inn & Suites was overflowing with people wearing personalized nametags Dec. 11. They weren’t victims of cancelled flights at T.F. Green Airport or part of many professional organizations that book rooms at the hotel.

Frankie Galasso and Rich Paolo – who own and operate “opposite businesses” – best described the occasion as “a great holiday event to end the calendar year.”

And that three-hour social, which was officially known as the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce’s (CRICC) Holiday Business After Hours, was indeed a shining example of the many unique events that members were offered during 2013.

“It’s a great Chamber,’” said Paolo, who owns and operates Pamfilio’s Italian Deli, Ristorante and Catering and is a member of four Chambers of Commerce. “They have so many diversified events that afford all members an opportunity to showcase our wares.”

In Paolo’s case, almost all of the night’s attendees enjoyed his special autumn pasta with local sugar pumpkin and butternut squash as well as lemon risotto arancini and homemade chicken potpie with sweet potato crisps.

The Holiday Business After Hours featured food from vendors that ranged from Egg Roll Café’s handcrafted fusion egg rolls and Legal Seafood’s chowder to Corner Bakery Care’s cinnamon crème coffee cake, mini-sandwich basket filled with assorted sandwiches, Santa Fe ranch salad and spinach sweep crisp salad to Scoopless Venture’s Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Verizon Wireless even set up a cupcakes display and Sam’s Club – that will return to Warwick’s business scene next month – featured a cookie display.

ShelaLara Vineyards & Winery provided a unique setting for shoppers, as did Avon’s Cheryl Keller, Java Skin Care and Rhode Island’s modern-day sports cartoonist/artist Frankie Galasso.

“Wow, this is special,” said Ernest Pitochelli, director of sales/loyalty manager for Discover You Events, as he examined Galasso’s recent cartoon-caricature of the World Champion Boston Red Sox. “And these [coffee] mugs, they’re great Christmas gifts.”

In the middle of the year-end Holiday Business After Hours was Jay Visjnic, general manager at the recently remodeled Hampton Inn & Suites that hosted the event for a second straight year.

“A huge thank you to all who participated in this great festive evening of networking,” said Chamber CEO/President Lauren Slocum after she and CRICC staffers presented upwards of three-dozen raffle prizes donated by Chamber members. “It was wonderful to see members having fun and making new contacts with the other guests during this joyous holiday season.”

Visjnic, who has transformed the Hampton Inn & Suites into an award-winning property whose staff is consistently receiving high marks from various hospitality groups, said, “This is a perfect example of how well the Chamber is organized and the professionalism of its entire staff. We’re honored to host such a unique event!”

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