By Anna Skinner
On June 9, Jack Russell was appointed as the president of the Westfield Chamber of Commerce. Current in Westfield caught up with him to learn about the reorganization of the chamber and his new role.
Q: What’s your timeline as president of the chamber look like over the next six months?
A: “We are starting to expand outside of city hall. We want to saturate the city with the chamber. From a modern standpoint, we want to become unique in how we present our value to our members. My belief is that a chamber’s biggest job is to connect people with people … Whether you’re having a problem and need something fixed, or if you are trying to grow your business but lacking that one thing, we probably have a member that can do that. I want to start morning programming for our restaurants because for our luncheons, it’s hard to make if you serve lunch in the community. I want to make our hospitality businesses feel a part of the chamber as well.”
Are you nervous about anything?
“No, I am very excited. I have been very involved from a volunteer standpoint in a lot of groups and the community, and before being in the chamber and in this role, I wanted to take it to the next level and promote our businesses, our community and all the growth we have in our community. I’m excited more than anything.”
What does your job entail?
“I oversee working on our events and working on sales and memberships, really just all aspects of the chamber. I can’t think of anything I’m not involved in … I want to support our chamber members, but all businesses in Westfield need to feel like they have a place to go to connect with people. There (are) so many people that just love Westfield, and it’s (the chamber’s) job to embrace it. There’re a lot of people that love this city and are passionate about it.
Tony Cook, State Representative for District 32, which covers Westfield, also commented on Russell’s new appointment.
“The appointment of Jack Russell as the Westfield Chamber’s new president is an outstanding selection,” Cook stated. “Jack is energetic, passionate, intelligent and possesses a pleasant and genuinely positive personality combined with a can-do attitude. He will bring innovative and creative strategies to the Chamber to promote Westfield and its positive environment for families and businesses.”
