By Carla Howie
Continue with advocacy, promote and retain our local business and collaborate with our partners and town officials are a few of the goals for 2014, stated Julie Johns Cole, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce.
“We look forward to another great year working for our members, promoting all of the wonderful assets Zionsville has to offer and collaborating with our partners in the community. The chamber plays a vital role in the communities it serves and it’s our goal to ensure that the local businesses know that we are here to advocate for their success,” Cole stated.
New for 2014 will be the launch of the chamber’s Business Expo, slated for October at the Executive Airport, to allow the membership to promote their products and services and to network with the business community. The chamber also will be using the results of the downtown marketing study to recruit new business.
“We have seen an increase of 33 percent in membership since I came on board in 2012. Our responsibility is to demonstrate value in being a member of the chamber. We will continue to host our First Tuesday networking events and on the third Tuesday of the month, and we will add a breakfast business session to provide a focused topic of discussion. At each event, we provide a feedback questionnaire for our membership so we can improve our meetings, venue or address any concerns that may arise,” Cole said.
The chamber will continue its active role with economic development and its partnership with the town leaders.
“With businesses getting ready to occupy the new buildings on south Main Street, and significant progress expected for Creekside Corporate Park and the Pittman Farms development, the outlook for business development in Zionsville looks very good,” Cole said.
Cole also stated she and Associate Chamber Director Dusky Loebel are very excited to move into their new location and provide an inviting atmosphere to conduct the chamber’s business.