Editor,
Recently the Carmel and Fishers chambers of commerce have merged into one the OneZone organization to benefit their many business members. I congratulate both chambers as this important topic was discussed for many years by the directors of chambers in Hamilton County. Business in and around Hamilton County has become more regionalized with each passing year and the merger of these two power-house business advocacy organizations shows that they are listening to their members. Additionally, the OneZone organization gives additional recognition and impact with the state legislature and other entities. The way business is conducted has changed (particularly since the first chamber of commerce in our country was formed in 1768!) and chambers of commerce must recognize and meet those changes head-on.
As a former executive director of the Fishers Chamber and president of the Noblesville Chamber during a 20-year time span, I anticipated that this positive change would probably occur in the near future and I am so pleased to see it come to fruition. Former Chamber directors Nancy Blondin, Ruth Anne Nunamaker and Christi Wolf were also involved in those discussions in the past and I imagine that they are pleased to see the merger of these two organizations. Mo Merhoff and Dan Canan bring years of business, economic development, government relations, and community leadership in their roles as president and executive vice president, respectively, to OneZone. Their vision, along with the OneZone board of directors, will encourage further economic development and cohesion resulting in a win-win for both business and community development in Hamilton County. Congratulations to the Carmel and Fishers chambers of commerces for their foresight and hard work to make this happen.
Sharon McMahon