This year, the Brown County Chamber of Commerce plans to make it easier to answer its most frequently asked question: “What does the chamber do for me?”
The downtown Christmas Light Parade will become a chamber project in 2017. The chamber board is taking over the planning from Ted Hayes, who started it to help collect toys for local children to be distributed by The Salvation Army.
Chamber board members have taken seats on other boards in the town and county to keep an ear out for the interests of local business — the Nashville Redevelopment Commission, the Nashville Development Review Commission and the town’s food and beverage tax use group among them.
The chamber is working on expanding its military discount and member-to-member discount programs.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]It’s entered into a partnership with the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau to run a Christmas Passport program, whereby visitors can be entered in prize drawings if they spend a certain amount of money in Brown County and have their “passports” stamped. Last year, 54 businesses participated in that program and 582 passports were completed from 382 people. Not counting passports that weren’t full, that meant $145,000 in local sales, chamber President Mike Stieglitz said.
The board is working on transitioning its business incubator space downtown, Launch Brown County, into a co-work space and possibly a daily-use internet cafe, he told the audience at the chamber’s annual meeting and dinner Jan. 26.
In 2016, the group donated $1,500 to the Lions fireworks, We the People and other community causes. Members also participated in a dunk tank at the Brown County Fair and helped run the Reality Store for local junior high-schoolers to help them understand how grades and choices factor into future success.
Increasing the number of chamber members will be the group’s No. 1 priority this year, Stieglitz said. The number fluctuated between 80 and 90 and ended the year at 80.
With the addition of a part-time office manager to its staff to do outreach, expenses have risen, he said. The chamber finished under budget last year, but the board approved a deficit budget for 2017 with a plan to do “fun-raising” to cover the gap, he told members.
Three chamber-member businesses were given awards at the annual meeting for doing a part to make the local business community proud.
The Brown County Democrat was named Business of the Year for “exceptional business achievement and outstanding commitment.” In addition to producing an all-local newspaper each week, staff members serve in volunteer roles throughout the county.
The Brown County Garden Club and Keep Brown County Beautiful collaborated with the chamber to choose the first winners of the Brown County Beautification Awards.
The Brown County Art Gallery was the winner for building and signage. The recent multimillion-dollar addition blends well with the existing building and has “top-notch curb appeal,” the judges said.
The Cornerstone Inn was the winner for landscaping and flowers. Judges said they were well-maintained and organized and they especially liked the incorporation of local art and a fire pit.
