Albany Area Chamber celebrates with 116th annual dinner

ALBANY – The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s 116th annual dinner on Thursday drew what is believed to be the largest attendance ever at the event, held this year on North Washington Street outside the newly opened St. Nicholas Hotel in downtown Albany.

“Nobody has been able to tell me it isn’t,” Chamber interim President and CEO Matt Reed said of the crowd size.

During the celebration, chamber officials honored several individuals for their contributions over the past year and some for longer periods of excellence.

The latter included Freedom Singers original member Rutha Harris, whose iconic performances, both in a group and solo, have inspired people all over the world, according to Rashelle Minix, who presented the Lifetime Service Award. In addition to her career in music. Harris was a teacher at Monroe High School for 35 years, and perhaps her largest audience was during the Aug. 28, 1963 March on Washington at which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” address.

“They did that before thousands in Washington,” Minix, who frequently called on Harris to perform while Minix was president and CEO of the Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau, said. “Although her singing made her known, it was not the only contribution she has made in our community. Her love for humanity and this community extend beyond what we can truly measure.”

Others honored included Albany under-40 young professional of the year Darren Evans, vice president of pharmacy services with the Phoebe Putney Health System, and ambassador of the year Nancy Reimer.

2025 Chamber Board Chairman Smith Wilson handed the gavel to 2026 chairman Adam Hutchins.

In the setting of the newly renovated hotel, Reed said that the chamber is also entering a new chapter, which involves moving its operation into the St. Nicholas, which he said represents a “renewed commitment to downtown revitalization and collaboration.” He added, “It is a physical step toward a more open and future-oriented organization, and one that continues to attract and retain talent into the future.”

Key points of focus he identified are work force development of the skills needed for the jobs of the future, supporting Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany and the families of those who work there, and redefining economic growth.

“It (economic growth) must be inclusive and sustainable,” Reed said. “Small businesses, entrepreneurs, and legacy industries all have a seat at the table. Innovation does not replace tradition; it builds upon it. Albany’s future will be strongest when every neighborhood and every sector sees itself reflected in our progress.”

Going forward, the chamber should look to recruit and build talent in the community, be focused on the future in a changing world and build partnerships between government and business, education and industry, civic organizations and residents, Reed said.

“The chamber of tomorrow is about far more than business after-hours and ribbon cuttings,” he said. “It is about bettering talent, innovation, infrastructure, advocacy, and quality of life. Our chamber is entering a new chapter, one defined by a forward-looking mindset and a broader definition of success. 

“A future-focused chamber must be agile, collaborative, and deeply connected to the needs of modern employers and workers. We have to, and are, shifting from simply reacting to challenges to proactively shaping solutions and listening to members.”