Merger to create ‘Dubois County Chamber of Commerce’ with new vision, mission
When the Ferdinand and Huntingburg chambers of commerce merge in January, they plan on taking on the name Dubois County Chamber of Commerce.
According to Huntingburg Chamber Executive Director Sara Schroeder, the move is in response to the surveys and community input they have received during the nearly year-long process of merging the two organizations.
“We talked and debated this decision a long time,” she said. “At first we were really focused on Huntingburg and Ferdinand but as we moved forward, we realized that it was more than that. This could be an expansion into the county where there is no representation.”
The new organization will change the areas where the two chambers have traditionally been involved. While they will still be involved in some events that have been led by the chambers in the past, moving forward, the Dubois County Chamber of Commerce will take on county-wide roles in business development.
With the development of the county’s Main Street programs, these programs are expected to take on the roles of developing events for those communities.
The new chamber’s work will consist of supporting businesses of all sizes by providing leadership, legislative advocacy and member-to-member collaborative opportunities to foster growth and profitability for its members.
“In preparation for this year’s luncheon — our theme was Reflections on Huntingburg — I spent a lot of time reading the minutes from the early 1900s,” Schroeder said. “What I noticed a lot was that the Chamber of that time period would send off sketches of buildings in town to larger companies in Indianapolis and Chicago with letters saying ‘We have this wonderful building here, move your business here.’ They were kind of chasing smokestacks.”
“In 2019, that is not the type of Chamber we need,” she continued.
This new Chamber will become more involved in countywide organizations like Dubois Strong and Hub19 — the cooperative development program among the four school corporations. And, lead new initiatives to bring people to the area and create partnerships and programs to enhance the area’s economic climate.
Schroeder pointed out that one example of that is the goal of creating a mentorship program between large and small businesses that would help with training small business owners on some practices larger businesses incorporate into their organizations.
The new chamber will be on a three-year growth plan when it forms in January. The transition committee has set out to create a foundation and vision for the future of the chamber but the new board and executive director will build upon that vision. This initial buildup will culminate with a strategic plan in those three years.
The transition committee envisions this new chamber will be unlike any that we have seen in Dubois County and will be a group that will work in collaboration with all other organizations throughout the county.
“The new board will be comprised of members from across the county as well as from different backgrounds,” Schroeder said.
The search for those individuals wanting to serve on the board of directors of the new chamber will be underway soon. There will be an application process and those interested should contact Sara at huntingburgchamber@gmail.com. It is expected a search for a new director will begin in December.
