The Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce has had a successful 2016 and is gearing up for an even busier 2017, executive director Gloria Mazzella Williams said.

Chamber membership has grown to 225 businesses and organizations, Williams said, with most located in Gloucester but others from nearby communities on the Middle Peninsula and Peninsula.

“It has been another wonderful year for local business, and an exciting one for the chamber,” she said.

Some of the chamber’s successes in 2016 included monthly Business After Hours, where business owners can network and socialize; the Gloucester Wine Festival, which showcased Brent and Becky’s at Ware Neck and brought extra business and exposure for all of the county, regular education programs to keep business leaders abreast of a changing economic climate, and an annual dinner and awards night, Williams said.

These programs will continue in 2017, Williams said, and will be augmented by a career fair and expo, held...