Bellingham Business Association Holds Membership Drive this Month

By Judith Dorato O’Gara

March is the month the Bellingham Business Association holds its annual membership drive, with a membership lunch taking place this year at noon on March 12th, 2025, at Grumpy’s, 190 Pulaski Blvd., Bellingham. The event is free for potential members and $25 for existing members. Those who join during the membership drive receive both a membership for the rest of this year and the following year for the annual dues rate of $75. 

“If you’re new to the area and join the BBA, it’s a good way to meet people, get your business out there and show what you do or how you can help people,” says Dean Bank’s Kerry Pickering, current BBA President, who’s been a board member for about five years. She adds, “Personally, I’ve met a lot of great people” through the BBA.

“Our motto is ‘Building a better community through business,’ and there’s a benefit to (joining) us,” says Sue Grady, Secretary and Treasurer for the BBA, “The whole goal is for businesses to do business with and network with each other. A lot of our members are Chamber members as well.” 

About 150 businesses and organizations belong to the BBA, which holds monthly meetings. Grady notes that a company may send any representative from their business to the monthly meetings to network. Some of these meetings, such as last month’s, feature speakers, while others, such as January’s event which raised money for the local VFW Post 7272, are more fun. Every April, the BBA meeting focuses on the State of the Town, with speakers from the Town of Bellingham, and May’s meeting theme is the State of the State, with speakers from the Commonwealth.

In June, the BBA generally has its awards meeting, in which the group presents two high school students from the town with scholarships for $1500. Applications for this year’s scholarships are available at BBA Scholarship 2025.pdf and will be accepted until April 15th. The BBA raises funds for these scholarships with an annual golf tournament, which this year will take place September 15th at Blissful Meadow in Uxbridge.

The June BBA Awards ceremony also honors one special resident with its annual “Unsung Hero” award, for which nominations are currently being accepted. If you know someone who has made outstanding contributions to the town of Bellingham, you can download the nomination form, BBA Unsung Hero Nomination.pdf, and email it (before May 10th) to [email protected].

The BBA also partners with community organizations on town-wide events. One of these, the Taste of Bellingham, most recently held at the Bellingham Senior Center, is free for participants and been running over 18 years. In June, the BBA will again work with the senior center to present Pride Fest on June 28th at the Bellingham Town Common, and in October (October 25th this year), the group teams up with the Bellingham Education Foundation to present Trunk or Treat, another fun way to interface with Bellingham consumers.

BBA membership is open to those who live in or work in the town of Bellingham, and this includes businesses and organizations. Exceptions to the residency rule are made for businesses that offer a unique service to the town, such as the YMCA. New members get a Facebook shout out and a listing in the BBA’s website directory and are automatically signed up for a monthly newsletter.

Grady points out that membership benefits are especially useful for those members who take part in the BBA’s various opportunities to network, such as the Business Expo, and she recommends it.

“You’re not going to get new customers sitting home on your couch,” she points out.

To find out more about the BBA, visit www.bellinghambusinessassociation.org, email

[email protected], or find the group on Facebook: @BellinghamBusinessAssociation.