Meeting explores formation of countywide Chamber

An informational meeting was held on Wednesday, January 14 at the Cedar Links Country Club to explore the possibility of forming a countywide Chamber of Commerce.  Nearly 30 business people from Plainville and Stockton attended the meeting that was put together by Rooks County Economic Development.

After a short introduction by Roger Hrabe that explained the groundwork that had been laid in a previous meeting amongst board members, Gina Riedel, Executive Director of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce spoke about the cooperation and collaboration that has taken place in Ellis County since she became director four years ago.  Gina talked about the various programs that they have in place that allows them to be a more active organization.  After her initial talk, she opened the floor for questions, and received plenty from the audience.

"Even though Gina represents a much larger business community than we have in Rooks County, she provided some interesting perspectives on what they have done to make their Chamber more active and more responsive," commented Roger Hrabe, Rooks County Economic Development Director.  "The audience took advantage of her expertise by asking many questions."  Some of the programs Hays has incorporated into their Chamber include an Ambassadors program and Chamber Event Organizers.

When the discussion centered on the possibilities of forming a countywide organization, the people in attendance had the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns.   The main thrust of the effort is to attempt to hire a person who could coordinate and organize events, keep in touch with business owners, and work on promotions.  Some members felt that the local Chambers should keep their own identity while still utilizing a director.  Others questioned whether we shouldn't take advantage of the opportunity by forming one countywide organization.  The discussion was lively, and for the most part, very positive in nature.

At the end of the evening, Hrabe asked permission to form a committee that would come up with a proposal that could be presented to each Chamber at a later date.

Those in attendance included: Sonja Ruder, Jayne Prockish, Twila Sander, Pat Cook, Denise Murchie, Calvin Hair, Lana Zajic, Kim Rounsley, Kelli Hansen, Charles Hansen, Mark Lowry, Gail Becker, Chick Selbe, Robert Carmichael, John Ruder, Glen Sears, Roger Kriley, James Berkley, Chris Kollman, Jonathon Berkley, Brent Garcia, Cari Riffel, Roma Smith, Char Heenan, Steve Wilkens, and Roger Hrabe.