Written by Melissa Karen Sances

When Daniel Reider moved to the area in November 2019, he didn’t know a soul in Northampton. After a 12-year career with the National Basketball Association overseeing international television programming, he had a network that spanned the world. Yet he longed to be part of a close-knit community. In January 2020, Reider started to approach sponsors for Northampton Living, the first local magazine that would put its residents on the cover and give the community the royal treatment. Though the pandemic delayed its launch, the magazine debuted that October. Less than 3 years later, he was named Ambassador of the Year by the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce.

The choice to nominate him this year was obvious, says Chris Gallivan, who is on the Chamber’s board of directors and chairs the Ambassador committee: “Every time I’ve asked him to support this community, he’s never questioned a motive or given any other response but, ‘Yes, absolutely.’” Gallivan invited him to join the Ambassador committee in February 2021, and after only a year in the area, Reider was tasked with welcoming and recruiting new members. He became a fixture at the Chamber’s monthly networking event, the Arrive@5, where he forged connections with his infectious enthusiasm, boyish charm and next-level equanimity.

“I sell things to people every day,” says Gallivan, a consultant for Complete Payroll Solutions. “To find people who that are honestly humble and genuinely care – it’s rare. Those are the people who hold me to a higher standard. And that’s who Daniel is.”

For Reider, receiving the award at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting this summer was an emotional experience. “Honestly, it’s just an honor that people have embraced me in the community. It might come as a surprise, but I’m definitely not used to that kind of attention.” For the past 3 years, he has focused attention on businesses through the Chamber, and on residents through Northampton Living and Longmeadow Neighbors. Both magazines have been well-received, and the former recently expanded its page count.

“You have this vision and until it’s actually out there, you don’t know if people are going to like it or not,” says Reider. “To see how much people love [the magazines], to get notes encouraging us to keep up the good work, to put a smile on someone’s face, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

He made many people smile when he received the award in June, including his mother, who flew in from Cleveland, Ohio. Her attendance only made Gallivan prouder of Reider. “I’m an Italian kid who’s close with my family, so it made it even more special to share a moment with his family,” he says. “It’s great to be recognized professionally, it’s another thing to see the people they most love and respect get to see the results of their good work.”