Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Kostek told Reminder Publishing he wants business owners to know the chamber is their number one supporter and partner in building a successful business.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
EASTHAMPTON — Reflecting on his first several months into his new role as the executive director of the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, Jon Kostek said he wants the city’s community at large to know the chamber is here to serve them in many ways.
“Relationship building, helping people grow their business, grow the community,” said Kostek. “As I started here, I noticed a lot of crossover with that relationship building and helping the businesseses here.”
Kostek, who took over at the chamber in May, has a background in sports management and worked with the United States Tennis Association for just over 18 years. As a tennis player himself since age 5, Kostek began his career working at the old Fran Johnson’s Golf and Tennis in West Springfield.
In his role with the UTSA, Kostek built relationships among tennis providers and helped them grow their programs, specifically on the youth side of the game. Through working with various municipalities, Parks and Recreation departments, and nonprofits, Kostek said he brings much of what he has learned in those endeavors to this new role with the chamber.
Kostek said his 20 years spent growing up in Northampton helped him stay familiar with the community at large, including Easthampton. He said he can see and appreciate the efforts of Easthampton in growing its downtown spaces, restaurants, businesses and arts scene.
“Easthampton right now is a thriving community. There are wonderful businesses and wonderful restaurants, a lot to do here in Easthampton,” said Kostek. “I learned a lot about that growing up in Northampton. The things that are happening, the restaurants, the nightlife and all that, the businesses. I see a lot of that currently in Easthampton. It’s a thriving community, a thriving arts community.”
Kostek added while the communities have their similarities and differences, Easthampton still has much to build on in terms of growing its business community and the downtown scene.
Since taking on the role in May, Kostek said he has been out in the community meeting chamber members and collecting feedback from them on what they want more of from the chamber.
Kostek said he incorporated a more consistent networking event schedule through the chamber. In October, they hosted one at Riverside Industries that garnered 65-plus people. Another one is set in December at Abandoned Building Brewing Company.
Kostek said he has prioritized creating a baseline of transparency and communication with the business community, as it is “extremely important” for the overall ecosystem.
“I think that’s one of the benefits the chamber can offer is creating those spaces in that area and that atmosphere where the business community can connect, they can get to know each other and build off of each other,” said Kostek.
The chamber has also continued its monthly “Coffee Chats” series at the Workhub, and Kostek anticipates that these networking opportunities will continue to see good turnout as he looks to grow his relationship with the greater Easthampton business community. He added these were some of the immediate moves he wants to make as he continues to grow in the role.
Looking ahead to 2026, Kostek said he will continue to maintain the annual She Leads Women’s Leadership Conference through the chamber and revive the Co-Starters program, a 10-week program where a cohort of people looking to start their own business are guided through the process.
He said he also wants more people to be aware about where the Workhub on Union is and for people to have a better understanding of what it is used for.
Located at 33 Union St. the space is used by the chamber to establish Easthampton’s own co-working space. The location serves as a dynamic hub where local professionals, businesses, innovators and other creative minds can converge to build on their networks and work collaboratively among the community.
“Since I’m new here, I’m going to take it as I don’t believe a lot of people know about the Workhub, what it is, what it can offer to the entrepreneur or businesses, or even just the person who works from home and needs to get out of the house,” said Kostek. “I take it from that perspective that I don’t know if the broader community knows about it, not just Easthampton, but the region.”
To help bring more awareness to the chamber and its space, Kostek said his team had a table set up at Cultural Chaos earlier this year. He added that the chamber will continue to make efforts to better connect with its members and the Easthampton community.
“We’re going to look at it whole and kind of look at what our membership is, and make sure our chamber members are taking advantage of what we offer. We have a lot to offer, and I always feel like we need to make sure they’re utilizing our benefits to help their businesses grow,” said Kostek. “The big thing for next year is helping them navigate their benefits, and how they can utilize them so they can see its benefiting them.”
As for the downtown economy, Kostek said he looks forward to the chamber’s role in growing the business community.
“I think the chamber’s role is knowing where empty storefronts are, being able to answer questions on if someone is looking for space for a business, and being able to connect them with how they can get in that space,” said Kostek. “I think a goal will be working with the new mayor in Easthampton to figure out how the chamber can help with some of their goals in growing this stretch from Cottage Street, to Union Street, to Main Street.”
