I thought I would use this space in the August Newsletter to remind folks of something of tremendous significance which happened ten  years ago this month. That’s right, it has now been ten years and those who were a part of it have had their efforts and vision validated many times over. You might now be asking yourself just what happened ten years ago that was so important.

Those few words remind many of us of the quote penned by author Charles E Weller in 1868; “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country”. And while this is not particularly a “call to arms”, as we approach the anniversary of the birth of our country, it is a reminder of one of our most sacred rights; the right to VOTE. In the coming weeks we will all be asked to go to a designated location, wait our turn in line, sign a piece of paper, step into a small cubicle, close the curtain behind us and make our selection.

There is a saying in the “Chamber Biz” that “when you’ve seen one Chamber, you’ve seen one Chamber”. That is so true and I am sure that many people reading this article would agree. Chambers of Commerce are usually asked to do many, many things and those things often change over the years as new leadership comes and goes. Most Chambers eventually settle into something reflective of the needs, challenges, and opportunities of their community. 

While that may sound like an unusual question, it is one which should and does get asked quite often at the Chamber of Commerce. While being part of the Chamber of Commerce has many, many benefits, often times they are seen as intangible, which can make them seem as being too difficult and cumbersome to be of direct benefit. As an organization, we always try to remind our customers of how they can take advantage of being a part of the Chamber. And this leads me back to the question; “May I borrow your rolodex please?” One of the benefits which I encourage you to take advantage of is to use the contacts which are readily available to you.