Lynn Chamber moving to Chestnut Street

LYNN – The Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC) is moving its downtown headquarters to a former public school on Chestnut Street.The relocation to the Chestnut Street Professional Building at 583 Chestnut St., formerly the Lewis Elementary School, is slated for early 2011, according to LACC President Leslie Gould.Gould said the new offices in Suite 8 will provide the chamber with enhanced resources and help the organization reduce its operating expenses.”We’re confident this new site will be retrofit to ideally suit our needs,” said Gould. “It’s a central and accessible location, with plenty of parking, and it offers a facility we can use to host events. The timing and circumstances were right for us to make this move.”The building is currently home to the Hospice Grief and Loss Center run by the Lynn All-Care Visiting Nurse Association and other businesses, including a law firm and land surveying company. The LACC’s successful SCORE program that offers free business advice through in-person counseling will also move to Chestnut Street.John Olson, chairman of the LACC Board of Directors, noted that the move is timely because the organization’s lease at 100 Oxford St. is about to expire. “The board and staff weighed several options and, in the end, we chose to move forward on an arrangement that provides the office dynamics we need and is fiscally responsible,” he said.A ribbon-cutting event and open house will mark the relocation early next year.