Chamber makes big changes
Since the retirement of Mary Anne Campbell, the local Chamber has undergone several changes in a short time, with the recent hiring of new Chamber President Jennifer Chavira and Director of Communication Allie VanDeventer Smart, to a complete overhaul of the offices, including major technological upgrades, now the Chamber is undergoing an even more significant change that will signal a new era with a new name; the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce.
The change reflects more than just a title change, as it will open up the Chamber to the entire county, including many of the smaller communities that have not been directly connected in years past.
“We want to encompass everybody. All of the cities around us that don’t feel like they have a Chamber,” said Chavira.
The Chamber will still cover the Liberty and Dayton area, just like it has since it officially brought those two communities together in the late 1970s. They hope to strengthen that bond with the surrounding areas, including businesses in the Cleveland area.
The newly reformed Chamber will look to enhance its programming and support for local businesses, offering new sponsorship opportunities tailored to fit any business, large or small.
The first big event will be this coming Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the Chamber offices, when they will be holding an Open House sponsored by Prosperity Bank from 4-6 pm. The event will allow the community to come to meet the new staff and see some of the changes they have been hard at work on the past couple of months.
“The next six months are pivotal for the community to see the change,” said Chavira.
Some of the other new upcoming opportunities are the new Ambassadors Program that will serve as the backbone of the organization and a program designed to work with Young Entrepreneurial Professionals.
According to Chavira, they are already off and running on a number of other projects and improvements like cleaning up the welcome signs coming into town and getting a new website and Facebook up and running very soon.
Chavira is also working on a number of events that will be on the calendar, like the annual Country Christmas, Tuesday, Dec. 7, and the annual awards banquet is set for Feb. 22, with more dates and events to be announced soon.
Chavira is excited for this opportunity to bring the community together and for the response she has gotten so far.
“I’ve had great support from the community,” concluded Chavira.
For more information about the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce, call 936-336-5736.