Love of Design | Joe Alarie

Joe Alarie recalls how, at a young age, art sparked his love of design. “I was lucky; my mom was an artist. When my brother and sisters and I were very young, she would gather us around the dining room table for an art class once a week. It was the only class I ever took that I did not mind staying after for. I later won a school scholarship to attend the memorial art gallery … it stuck with me.”

Years down the road, when choosing his career, he followed this calling. After leaving a corporate creative position, he started his own small business. As Alarie Design Associates Inc. rooted itself in the community, Alarie began looking for ways to connect. He reached out to the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, beginning a partnership that would prove mutually beneficial for years to come.

“Alarie Design has had the opportunity to work with the chamber staff from a branding and marketing perspective,” Alarie says. “We understand what the chamber’s goals are and how to best communicate the chamber’s message to the members and the community. Our own membership involvement and success via the chamber helps this process tremendously.”

Today he’s chair of the chamber, and his knowledge of both marketing and the businesses that make up the West Orange community suggest a bright future for this already promising partnership.

Alarie’s talents seem tailor- made for both of his roles. He describes the unique opportunity the West Orange Chamber offers for him to continue doing what he loves while serving his peers.