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Dave Perlmutter

AMHERST - David Perlmutter, the commercial printing sales manager for the Daily Hampshire Gazette, is the new president of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.

He was retail advertising manager for the Gazette until last summer, and before that was an ad representative in Franklin County and Amherst.

"I've worked with hundreds of business owners and managers and learned a lot about doing business in town," he said at the Chamber's monthly breakfast last week.

The Chamber has grown to 611 members, moved its office to a more prominent location, and given businesses a greater role in Amherst politics, Perlmutter said. He praised his predecessor, Cinda Jones, for "giving our organization a voice in town government" and initiating a campaign to urge residents to patronize local businesses.

Perlmutter, 50, a Shutesbury resident, has lived in the area for 25 years, starting as a sportswriter at the Gazette. He praised the area's cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities.

"I brag that we have everything you could have in a big city but with very few of a big city's problems," he said. "And I love Amherst's quirkiness. It seems we're forever making national news for the weirdest of reasons, and deep down I love that too."

The Chamber hopes to cooperate with its counterparts in Northampton and Easthampton on regional issues, legislative initiatives and tourism, Perlmutter said.

Tony Maroulis, who became the Chamber's executive director last September, said he's particularly interested in "cultural tourism." The number of people visiting Amherst's cultural attractions has increased by 22 percent since 2005, he said.

The Chamber has established a partnership with the Select Board and town manager to "change the town's anti-business reputation" and to pursue economic development, Maroulis said.

He wants to "lobby for favorable zoning to allow for expansion" and "let the world know what great businesses we have here."

The Chamber has also started a series of monthly "brown-bag" lunch programs. The next one, Thursday at noon, is designed to help local businesses understand and use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

It will take place in Room 108 of the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts.

Nick Grabbe can be reached at ngrabbe@gazettenet.com.