Plan of Work 2011
Board of Directors Chair Angie Dickman
Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of Commerce Executive Operating Committee
Chamber Center for Excellence
- Administration and Policy
- Personnel
- Finance
- Industries Inc
The executive operating committee will continue its work in 2011. The committee is established by the by-laws of both the Chamber of Commerce and Center for Excellence to function as an oversight officers committee for policy, personnel, and finance of the respective corporations. The Executive Operating Committee also functions as the Board of Directors of Industries Inc.
Community Leadership Council
- Business & Community Issues
- Organizational Updates
- Mayor’s Economic Vitality Council Participation & Support
The Chamber will again sponsor and facilitate a Community Leadership Council in 2011. The council will continue its work to gather elected officials, community organizations, and private sector leaders at a monthly meeting to discuss and report pressing issues, organizational and community challenges impacting the business community. This council will continue to ask hard questions, probe delicate topics, and enhance communications among community leaders.
The Chamber expects this Leadership Council and its membership to participate in and support the Mayor’s Economic Vitality Council as a critical step and means to shore up the core area of our economy. This work is viewed as part and parcel of efforts to enable the Bright Futures Together Initiative with surrounding communities, area chambers of commerce, and others. The Chamber plans to host the mayor’s economic vitality council by year’s end and to carry the work forward to the Bright Futures Region.
Chamber of Commerce Action Committees
Business Education
- Website Internships Data Base
- Career Day
- School is Cool!
- Teacher Internships
The first of three primary objectives of the business education committee is to advance to completion an internships data base hosted on the Chamber of Commerce website for post secondary students and area Chamber member businesses. The site will serve as a liaison between area educational institutions, businesses, and students unique to the Midwest and necessary to build bridges that we hope will substantively reduce the brain drain. This initiative may also be applied to high school seniors or other secondary education students participating in outreach aimed at experiential learning.
The second objective is to carry out a strengthened Career Days initiative and continue building follow-up communications from that one day event for area Chamber member high schools held at Indiana University East and Ivy Tech Community College. The student exposure to career options and professionals coupled with follow-up information may also be linked electronically through social media.
The third primary objective of the Business Education Committee is to continue the K – 12 School is Cool perfect attendance recognition program. The Chamber will continue to make a strong value education statement through this program that also emphasizes the importance of commitment, strong work ethic, and healthy lifestyles.
A potential fourth Chamber project that could be undertaken through the work of the Business Education Committee is the Reality Store introduced by the Chamber, C.I.S. and Richmond Community Schools. in 2009. For the Chamber to continue to champion, staff, and support this worthy project the effort would need to be carried out as a Chamber project with existing or pending Chamber member businesses, made part of the Business Education Liaison Program that has been a longstanding program of the Chamber and offered to all area Chamber member educational institutions.
Awards, Celebrations, & Events
- Community Beautification Awards
- Chamber Action Team Ambassadors
Two action committees (Community Development Committee and Chamber Action Team Ambassadors) will form one larger army of volunteers in 2010. Many of previous separate respective efforts of each group will continue.
The work of the Chamber’s Community Development Committee will continue under this umbrella in 2011 to promote and encourage community cleanliness and beautification. Beautification awards will continue to be given throughout the year to area businesses. The capstone event of these efforts will continue to be the Annual Community Beautification Awards Luncheon held at Forest Hills Country Club.
The work of the Chamber Action Team Ambassadors, the most visible army of Chamber volunteers, will continue in 2011 under this umbrella as well. Member recruitment will continue in 2011 of professionals to represent the Chamber of Commerce at Chamber sponsored events as well as new business openings, existing business expansions, and other community celebrations. This committee will continue to supply valued support for the Chamber’s Annual Dinner planning and Spring Golf event. The CAT will continue to provide valuable community service at monthly chamber events such as Chamber Network Nights, Forums, and Seminars.
One new outreach initiative aimed at new Chamber members will be introduced in 2011. The initiative will match action committee volunteers with new members each month to serve as a welcome to the Chamber and potentially also to the community for new arrivals. A committee member will represent the Chamber in thanking new members for connecting with the community through the Chamber, provide information about Chamber member benefits, the plan of work, and invite participation whether it is in networking events, committees, events, or other Chamber programs.
Issues & Advocacy
- Hot Topics
- Research & Response
- Political Debates & Forums
Issues and advocacy, like all action committees in 2011, is a reflection of the Board’s expressed desire to increase the Chamber’s voice advocating business concerns and points of view. What are the hot topics and concerns of the business community? What is the best response to those concerns?
The Chamber’s Existing Business Committee (EBI) remains as a vital part of the Issues and Advocacy focus to gather accurate information through survey and outreach to area businesses. The response to research will continue to require a small response group connected to the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County to enable in depth analysis, action, and follow-up to research findings. The infusion of more Chamber Board members to this group will assemble and enable Board level resources to report hot topics to the Chamber board and to create a reservoir of spokes persons for the Chamber whenever positions are formally endorsed by the Board.
The new Issues and Advocacy Action Committee also will be the hub for the Chamber in sponsoring and moderating political debates and issues forums.
Grow Local, Buy Local
- Grow Local
- Buy Local
Two action committees (Agribusiness and Buy Local) will meet as one larger group in 2010 but many efforts of each will continue under the Grow Local, Buy Local banner.
The Chamber’s work to host forums on topics of interest to the agribusiness community will continue in 2011. The committee will continue to assist the Chamber staff and play an instrumental role in planning the annual agribusiness farm tour. The committee also supports Chamber efforts to assist with the annual Rural Urban Banquet.
The Grow Local Buy Local Action Committee will continue the previous work of the Chamber’s Buy Local Committee by promoting Chamber member businesses and service providers and the high quality agribusiness, manufacturing, retail and professional services available to consumers locally.
This committee will facilitate (1) promotion of local Chamber member businesses and service providers in positive ways, (2) generate upbeat communications about the many positive economic consequences of buying and securing services locally, (3) in effect serve as the Chamber’s retail business committee, and (4) assist the Chamber staff in establishing and carrying out program linkages (such as the new Chamber Gift Certificate program) between consumers and Chamber member local businesses and service providers, and (5) update the print and electronic publication highlighting Wayne County Area Chamber member builders.
The committee may also choose to assist the Chamber in launching and promoting our new “Hot Deals” opportunity that will allow Chamber member businesses to communicate special savings on products and services to consumers in the general public through the Chamber’s new web site software.
Bright Futures Together
- Regional Economic Data
- Area Chamber Executives
- Regional Sustainable Development
- Chamber Entrepreneurs
Our need for accurate and timely economic data for our region is unquestioned. The Bright Futures Together initiative will champion this need be met and in 2011 offer, through the Center for Excellence, to contract with an area higher education consortium currently being formed to gather economic data for analysis.
Bright Futures Together in 2011will continue to share data and maintain communications with surrounding area Chambers of Commerce in both Indiana and Ohio. The collaboration network among area Chambers of Commerce will be further solidified in 2010 working toward the goal of establishing systematic information sharing among Chambers and other entities.
The Chamber through the Bright Futures Initiative will also champion the advantages of sustainability. To do this we will call upon and utilize our own membership that includes sustainability experts and resources.
One additional aim of the Bright Futures Initiative is to target and develop more coordinated support for entrepreneurs of all ages and business sector niches in the region.
One means of pursing this goal is to increase communications and coordinate available services from existing local or regional agencies (i.e. Innovation Center, SBDC, I.U. Entrepreneurship Center, EDC and others).
Identified entrepreneurs with a new business start will be awarded a one year free business membership with the Chamber to help support and encourage new business starts. This program will be especially helpful for students in post secondary education programs at Earlham, Indiana University, Purdue, and Ivy Tech Community College.
