Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 50 Years
50 years, celebrates, lance heater, martinsville-henry county chamber of commerce,
For five decades‚ the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce has worked to ensure that local business owners’ voices are heard. Based on its track record‚ every thing’s coming through loud and clear.
“Among the things that always have been fairly high profile for us are our advocacy positions‚” says Lance Heater‚ past chairman of the chamber’s board and president of Southwestern Virginia Gas. “In the community and statewide political arena‚ we’ve been very effective in advocating positions that represent the concerns of our members. I think we’ve been a very‚ very strong chamber in terms of that.”
Being represented at all government levels has been a key selling point for the 600-member chamber‚ particularly to smaller and startup businesses that don’t have the time or manpower to track legislation or meet with officials‚ Heater adds.
The chamber also focuses on pro viding networking opportunities within its ranks. That’s been another valuable asset for members over time‚ says Amanda Witt‚ president.
“They range from a monthly business after hours (event) to a high-performance trade show‚” Witt says. “Our members participate in quite a bit of networking.”
The chamber also beats the drum for its members with a feature on its Web site‚ www.martinsville.com – the Procurement Portal‚ which encourages people to do business locally. Members may use the portal to post purchasing needs‚ which generates an e-mail that is sent to the chamber’s database of 1‚800 people. Then‚ bids are submitted for consideration by the potential purchasers‚ which often are city and county governments‚ Witt says.
The chamber also administers the Leadership Development Program‚ a three-month class to encourage community involvement‚ and a supervisor training class to help managers lead their employees more effectively.
In addition‚ after forming its Education Foundation in 2006‚ the chamber developed three central projects: Partnership in Excellence grants‚ Youth Leadership Development scholarships for high-school seniors who participate in the chamber’s eight-month Youth Leadership Development program and the New Faculty Breakfast to welcome new instructors to the area.
Heater says that the chamber’s services continue to grow with its membership.
“One of the things we try to do is survey the membership on a regular basis‚ determining what they want us to do and trying to meet their needs‚” Heater says. “If we’re not meeting their needs‚ we have a real problem. What we provide isn’t driven by the staff or board‚ but by the members‚ and that’s how it should be.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Ian Curcio
