Cheatham Chatter

We have been very busy here at the Chamber of Commerce since I last blogged. So many things have occurred and so many ideas have sprouted that I don't know where to begin. Let's start with what has occurred. We have been diligently working on the bylaws of the Chamber. Over the years, there have been so many minor changes to the bylaws that they no longer demonstrated a focus for the organization. The bylaws are meant to house the structure, policies, and principles by which the organization is to operate and therefore determine the strength and vision of the association. Mary MacRae spent over 180 hours pouring through the bylaws and referring to "Robert's Rules of Order" in order to present, to the Bylaws Committee, a working document that could be shaped in the vision of the current Board of Directors. The bylaws committee then spent upwards of 40 hours debating and changing that document until a final draft was available for the Board of Directors to fine-tune. The special-called meeting to fine-tune that document lasted over 5 hours but the product of that meeting is a very concise and focused set of bylaws that sets our chamber on a much stronger foundation than before this process began. One of the primary goals reached through this process is that the Chamber is much leaner than it was and is much more directly controlled by its membership. In June of this year we had a Board of Directors of 24 individuals. As of right now, the Board consists of 13 members and will decrease to 9 by July of next year. All 9 of these directors will be voted on by the entire membership. The goal is to have a majority of our directors be business owners of all size of companies. This is an association that is owned by its members and is now completely directed by its members. The final document was unanimously passed and everyone walked away tired but excited about the future of our chamber.

Another exciting happening that will help strengthen the chamber's presence in the community and visibility to those entering our county is the upcoming move of the chamber office to the downtown Ashland City location at 108 North Main Street. The lease will be signed on August 14th and we will be moving during the first week of September. Kelly Ellis at the Livery Stable is donating some furniture and office equipment to help make this happen. Kelly and her husband will also be donating some time to help with minor renovations. It's great to have such wonderful friends of the Chamber.

We recently held a successful Social Media educational event. Mike McCloud from MMA Creative spoke for over 2 hours about how to effectively utilize sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to promote your business' goods and services. There was a great turnout and we are planning to follow it up with a hands-on workshop to help folks get started with sites of their own. These are great tools to control your brand and get the word out about your business.

On August 19th we are beginning our "Public Policy Lunch and Learn" series. This will be a series of luncheons with guest speakers discussing issues that effect small business. We have invited Marsha Blackburn, Jim Cooper, Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker, and members of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce to come speak to us at the first luncheon about the Healthcare Reform Bill that is being presented to Congress and how that bill will effect our local businesses. This is a hot topic issue with huge ramifications for our business owners. We are reaching out to Robertson County and Montgomery County and asking them to join us for lunch on this day to hear and question our elected officials on their positions on this topic. If the officials themselves cannot make it to the luncheon due to scheduling conflicts, we will be asking that they send a spokesperson who is educated on the bill to represent them at the lunch.

On August 21st we are having the inaugural meeting of our Women In Business Council (WIBC). This council is created to help businesswomen network and educate themselves on the resources available to them as women in business. There will be networking opportunities within the Chamber as well as outside of the Chamber through guest speakers, field trips, and peer-to-peer conversations. This will be a powerful tool to help women grow their businesses. We will be creating several councils of segments within the Chamber to help groups share knowledge and resources. The next councils to be created will be the Home-based Business Council (HBBC)and the Retail Business Council (RBC). Before it's said and done we will have more initials than a brain surgeon!

On top of all of this, we have our regularly scheduled chapter meetings and are creating committees for our golf tournament, tourism initiatives, membership, communications, and education. We have something for everyone. If you are interested in getting involved, we would love to have you. Just contact me or Stacey in our office at (615) 792-6722.

I guess that's all I have for this week, so let me finish with a reminder that our neighbors own the businesses in our community and need our help to support their livelihoods. Whenever possible make sure that you spend your money at a local business, it really does make a difference -- Shop Cheatham First!

"Making Social Media Work for your Business" is coming your way on Thursday at The Coach House. 3-5PM. Do not miss this educational seminar! Call to reserve your seat 792-6722.

REMINDER: Reserve your spot at the Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) education event on 7/23 from 3PM to 5PM at The Coach House Events Hall. 762-6722.

Mary MacRae has been named Chairperson of the newly formed Public Policy Committee. More news to come.

We had a North Chapter meeting this week as well as a successful Board of Directors meeting. Great things to come from this Chamber!

Please welcome the Chamber's newest members: Pleasant View Academy and Dale's Country Auction.

REMINDER: Central Chapter meeting today at noon in the board room of the Ashland City Community Bank & Trust. See you there!

Please welcome our newest members: PDI, Austin and Bell Funeral Homes, and Bell & Associates Construction, Pizza & More, and Kim Neese.

HOLD THE DATE! July 23rd - social media seminar - 3PM to 5PM - The Coach House Events Hall - Pleasant View, TN. MMA Creative will show you how to promote your business through social media sites.

HOLD THE DATE! July 23rd from 3pm to 5pm the Chamber will be sponsoring a social media seminar at The Coach House Events Hall in Pleasant View.

This is my first blog as the Executive Director of the Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce. In thinking about what to write, I found myself wondering whether to touch on the initiatives that I am working on at the Chamber, or the benefits that I plan to offer, or the general direction I intend to take the organization. I spent the last three weeks reaching out to the membership, the local officials, and the community at large with the intent of determining the best plan of action in these specific areas. What I found through these conversations was eye-opening.

I discovered that we have a very rich and diverse culture in this county. The folks residing on the north side of the county and those on the south side of the county are very different in their philosophies, lifestyles and desires. This diversity breeds many different opinions about how things should be and which direction we, as a county, should be heading.

Many people would like to see progress, and by this I mean they would like to have all of the luxuries of the big cities available to them in their own backyard. Other people like it the way it is and don't want to invite change into this quiet little community. These people would rather enjoy the comfortable quality of life they have at home and drive into Nashville, Springfield or Clarksville to work, eat and play. Both of these philosophies come with a price; too much progress can deprive us of the natural resources that make this area so beautiful and inviting, whereas too little progress means that the tax burden is placed solely on the individual with no businesses or industry to help tow the bill. I believe there is a way to satisfy both philosophies and it starts by recognizing the things that we do agree upon.

We all agree that this county is a beautiful, natural playground with its rivers, parks, and trails. We all agree that we want to pay less taxes and still maintain quality schools for our children, infrastructure for our towns, and responsive emergency services. We all agree that we want good neighbors who share similar interests and respect our privacy. And...we all agree that progress will happen in one form or another because nothing stays the same.

If this is true, then I think we can agree that the best way to proceed forward is to make a plan to control progress in our collective vision rather than letting progress control us. Protect our natural resources but promote and share them with outsiders so that businesses can thrive on tourism dollars and thereby relieving the tax burden on our citizens; invite industry into areas of the county where it is viable but define to them how their buildings will look, the carbon footprint they will create, and the noise that will be allowed on their premises. This will bring desperately needed jobs to our county, which has its highest unemployment rate in modern history at almost 9%. We can have signage regulations and strict building codes but find alternative methods to help our small business owners market their goods and services.

We should also consciously purchase products from businesses in our county to help support their families. When you spend a dollar always be thinking about where that dollar goes and if it has to go somewhere then remember it should go to Cheatham first. If we agree on these things, then the rest is simple.

So as I enter my fourth week as the Executive Director of the Chamber, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to live in this beautiful county and serve the wonderful people who live here. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to remember that your neighbors own the small businesses in your community and their livelihood depends on you purchasing goods and services from them. Support your community, support your small businesses, and support your neighbors...buy local.