We made enough money this year to get cordless phones for the 2012 Membership Event.

It’s the third and final day of the biennial Conway Chamber Membership Event.  Over the last two days we have added more than 200 new members.  We are now the 3rd largest chamber in Arkansas (approx 1,500 members).  Today is dedicated mainly to gathering checks and celebrating our volunteers. 

For the second time we hired Your Chamber Connection to help us orchestrate the event. They bring a unique model and energy to this event.  However, the backbone of this event is a group of committed volunteers who get their friends and co-workers to join them in some intense and competitive phone banking.

We can’t write any more without thanking the event chairs who worked to make this event successful: Amy Reed, Richard Henley, Lori Ross, Jay Bernard, Pam McDowell, Aaron Beard, Jeff Standridge, David Druey and Preston Scroggin.  These folks all recruited several volunteer salesman to help us beef up Chamber rolls and revenue.  They did more than they know to help us keep the lights on and the copier full of toner.

If I have to give you the reasons why you should join the Chamber, you are obviously new to this website.  I invite you to take a look around and see what we’ve been up to.  There’s no better way to advertise your business, grow our local economy or develop the contacts and resources you need to succeed. You can always call us at 501.327.7788 or email at getsmart@conwayarkansas.org. We will hook you up. Operators are standing by.

Last year's annual meeting led to a wholesale revision of the Chamber staff dress code

The Chamber Annual Meeting is almost here.  Boy am I nervous/excited.  In case you didn’t notice,  this is almost like prom for your business.  By definition, annual meetings only come once a year.  You miss it.  Tough luck. You can’t unmiss it.  Trust me, the last thing you want to happen at work Friday, March 5th is for everyone to talk about how great annual meeting was and you have nothing to say.  So let me be clear.  Your competition and the rest of the cool kids will be there. You want someone to ask you to come? I’m asking. “Will you please come to annual meeting with me?” Good.  It’s a date. (dutch though)

——–DETAILS——–

Thursday – March 4th – 6:30 – UCA HPER Facility

Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting featuring “A Conversation with Johnelle Hunt”

Johnelle Hunt will talk about her time at then ASTC (now UCA) and helping her husband Johnnie Bryan Hunt grow J.B. Hunt into one of the country’s largest transportation and logistics companies.  The Chamber will celebrate 2009 accomplishments, recognize outstanding businesses and individuals and look forward to an exciting 2010.

Tickets are $50.  Reserved tables of 8 are $500.  For more information or to make your reservation call 501.327.7788 or email getsmart@conwayarkansas.org.  Act now.  This event will sell out.

The Chamber staff's passion will not be ignored!

@chambergates, @chamberbrad, @chambertj and @chamberkathy recently had the pleasure of jetting up to Washington DC to advocate for a handful of projects important to Conway.  Sticking to our strength in numbers philosophy, we took with us Mayor Tab Townsell, County Judge Preston Scroggin, Chamber Board Chair Lori Ross, CDC Board Chair Bill Adkisson, Chamber Board member Andy Miller and current Speaker of the House @robbiewills. 

We try to go to DC every other year just to make the case in person for federal investment in our city and county.  This year the focus was on three projects: increased funding for the new southern interchange, the relocation of Highway 25 and the relocation of the airport.  Here are the highlights of our visit:

Monday – We hosted a reception for the staff of our two senators (Pryor, Lincoln) and our representative (Snyder).  We had approximately 40 staffers show up.  These are those 20somethings running the country you always hear about.  It was a great turnout and a good opportunity to meet in person a lot of the folks we work on the phone with during the year.

Tuesday - We met with our two Senators and appropriations staff.  Most of these folks are very familiar with Conway and these projects.  This year we were definitely in the right place at the right time.  Its the beginning of the budget process. Now is the time to carve out a place for our projects.  Tuesday night we had a dinner with our Senate Chiefs of Staff and had some real quality time talking about Conway in general.  This dinner was extra special because we got to recognize Sen. Pryor’s brand new Chief of Staff, Conway native, Andy York.  We had a number of other DC folks with Arkansas connections join us and it was really just a great event.  That quality time can save you a lot of work as we negotitate the budget/appropriations process.

Wednesday – We added a stop to our trip this year and met with Congressman Mike Ross and his staff.  Congressman Ross represents the AR-4 (south Arkansas).  In a year with so much turnover politically, we thought it was important to build relationships wherever we can.  Historically, Arkansas’ delegation has worked across district lines and having another set of eyes and ears in DC is a good thing.  Congressman Ross wanted to see all of our projects and hear our sales pitch.  He will be a resource for us in the future.  Our final stop before flying home was with Congressman Vic Snyder.  As you may know, Vic is calling it quits.  We joked that he has one year left to see some of these projects really bear fruit.  He and his staff have worked on several of them (western loop, airport) with us for years. 

This really was an effective trip to DC.  Most of this work is done over the phone, but DC has a ton of turnover so sometimes its necessary to go up there and re-introduce yourself in person.  Just like everything else we do, our secret weapon is our cooperation.  The Chamber, CDC, city and county make a very convincing case when we are all in the room together saying the same things.  That does not happen everywhere.  When it does, it stands out.

The Chamber has officially grabbed 2010 by the horns.  It looks pretty good.  Here is a real time* look at where we stand with some of our 2010 events. It is by no means a comprehensive list.

January: Like many of you, we are spending January finishing a lot of December’s work.  We are also finishing plans for annual meeting (see March), collecting back dues, building business plans for our events and breaking New Years resolutions.

Februry: February is marked by our 2nd ever Membership Drive.  During this event in 2008, the Conway Chamber added 388 members to its rolls. The best time to join the Chamber is immediately. The second best time is during this event.  We need volunteers to help with this almost awkwardly fun event.  Contact @chamberwes if you’re interested. (wes@conwayarkansas.org) 

March: Our annual meeting will be the first week of March.  Annual meeting is typically a whale of an event. This one will be no exception.  We’ve got some high profile details to wrap up before making any formal announcements, but I promise, it will be our biggest, best, annual meeting ever.

April: Although the entire first half of the year will be spent working on the Conway2025 planning process (www.Conway2025.com), it will be in full swing in the spring.  Our “sector groups” will be busy preparing action plans to present to the City Council this summer.  @chamberkathy is in charge of herding our volunteers and coordinating this historic process.

May: May means Toad Suck Daze.  It’s all hands on deck around here.  It is a huge event.  It takes almost a year of planning and hundreds of volunteers.  Last year was a soaking wet mess.  This year is going to be all about redemption and delivering the best festival we have ever had. This festival focuses on education and has raised over $1 million in scholarships for Faulkner County students.

June: Looks like June will be spent on continuing education, recovering from Toad Suck and family vacations. 

July: A new event will make its debut in July. “Bowling for Business” replaces our annual golf tournament. (Golf tourneys are soooo pre-recession)  This event is going to put a premium on networking, access, and fun.  Expect a post later this year on Bowling vs. Golf for business events.  I will obviously be coming down on the side of bowling.  My arguments will primarily be built around air conditioning and access to nachos. 

August: Any college town worth its salt recognizes the impact of students returning in the fall.  Our job at the Chamber is to help our members harness the economic power of those students and their parents credit cards.  Seriously, we are looking at ways to improve our already successful “freshman bag” promotion and act as matchmaker for student and local businesses.

September: Are you ready for some football!? Paint the Town Purple kicks off in September.  We have a goal of establishing Conway as THE destination in the Southland Conference.  If you aren’t familiar, there are some great towns in this conference and some fans that travel pretty well.  We are going to try and capitalize on that.  Also, we want to recognize and promote all of the businesses in town that have great…..wait for it……Bearaphenalia for sale.

October: Business Expo/Taste of Conway.  Last year was our most successful Biz Expo ever.  We combined it with Taste of Conway and everything went great.  We had good participation at our breakout sessions and, most importantly, our exhibitors did some business.  The only change I expect this year is a new location.  There is a good chance we will be holding Expo at the City’s new special events facility at our new fairgrounds.  @chambermary has our footprint and setup down to a science, so it should be fun to watch her start from scratch on a new plan.

November/December: If you were a good Chamber member or volunteer all year then you get to take part in one of our many holiday season events thanking the folks who make our work possible.  The Chairman’s Dinner is for our event sponsors and the volunteer appreciation luncheon should pretty much be self-explanatory.

If you or your business want to get involved with one or more of these events as a volunteer or $pon$or email  jamie@conwayarkansas.org or chad@conwayarkansas.org. 

*editors note (I assume y’all know that when I say “real time” it pretty much means work in progress. Some would even say unreliable.  But, that’s the internets for you.)

Budgeting Inspiration

Over here at TCL.com (that’s what the cool kids call it these days) we like nothing more than bringing new perspective and information to our loyal followers.  How’s this for some mind-blowing economic news.

In the next 30 days, the people of Conway will see three construction projects worth over $80 million wrap up.  Each project, on its own, would be the largest construction project in Conway’s history.  To do this during the country’s worst recession in decades is incredible.  To say we are blessed is an understatement.

Here is a rundown of the three megaprojects:

The University of Central Arkansas is building a new $18.5 million home for their College of Business. The building will total 75,000 sqare feet and features a 160 seat auditorium, 8 tiered classrooms, multiple computer labs and faculty offices. The building represents the largest construction project in UCA’s history.

Hendrix College is building a 71,200 square foot, $26 million Student Life and Technology Center that will become “the place where students gather to share ideas, practice leadership, master technology, and foster friendships.” This will be the first LEED certified construction project on the Hendrix Campus. It is also their largest single capital project.

The third and largest project is a $36 million, 150,000 square foot, LEED certified office building for Hewlett Packard. The building will be home to over 1,200 new jobs. The building is located in The Meadows Technology park and represents one of the largest economic development announcements in Arkansas history.

Here is a link to an official press release detailing the perfect storm of good fortune and construction projects that make up Conway’s economy.

Fear not, the pipeline is not empty.  The city is pursuing an incredible construction program (parks, trails, new streets), Southwestern Energy is building a facility that will employ 400+, Blue Cross Blue Shield breaks ground in the Tech park next year and we’ve got another phase of the Hendrix Village yet.  Let’s keep the big equipment around another year.

- 6 month membership to 24_7fitness

- 6 months of free food from @strombolis1

- 2 tix and 1 night lodging at the @Rockefeller Institute New Year’s Eve Party

That’s right…TheChamberLife is having a contest and YOU can win.  Follow any of these fine folks on “the twitter” and you will be registered to win a local prize package worth over $700.  Let me be clear.  We will put your name in the hopper one time for each of the following 17 twitter accounts you choose to follow.  Your name can go in once or it can go in 17 times. Hence, the 17 Ways to Win contest.

The winner will receive the following:

- Six Month Membership to 24-7 Fitness Conway 

- Six Months of Free Food at Stromboli’s (one free stromboli or sandwich per week*)

- Two tickets and one night lodging to the Rockefeller Institute New Years Eve Bash http://ow.ly/DIqV

** Should you win and geography, food allergies, pre-existing New Year’s Eve plans or plain ole’ inconvenience prevent you from claiming these awesome prizes you can choose a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com and we will draw until we get a local winner who isn’t so high maintenance. 

How to Play

Follow these folks on twitter and we put your name in the hat for each account you follow: @mcdowellrealty, @caldwelltoyota, @my100bank, @brooksinsurance, @24_7fitness, @strombolis1, @rockefeller, @chambergates, @chambertj, @chamberwes, @chamberkathy, @chamberwhitney, @chambermary, @chamberbrad, @chamberlaura, @chamberchad, @chamberjamie

The drawing will be held Friday, December 4th at 3:00.  Ironically, our winner will be announced on a handwritten flyer in our lobby.  Just kidding silly. It will be on the internet.  Duh.

Current master plan for Conway, AR in the year 2025.

Let’s be honest, TheChamberLife.com is not your best source for unbiased opinions about Conway, AR.  We are biased.  We talk about all the good things going on and the good stuff that’s available here.  We only have your attention for so long and we don’t want to spend that time telling you where NOT to go.

However, Conway isn’t perfect.  It’s also always changing.  Working together is the only way we can fix those things that need improving and grow into something we desire.  In short, we need a plan.  www.Conway2025.com is your chance to help us write that plan.   Go to this site.  Take the survey.  It should take about 5 minutes.  After we identify our top issues we will all come together and set some goals and objectives.

It’s not unlike any other community’s planning effort, but communities do this because it works.  One unique thing about Conway2025 is that master planning initiatives are usually the result of some economic tragedy or catastrophic event.  We didn’t want to wait around for one of those.  To be honest, plans usually mean more when you have the resources to put them into action.  Conway does.  We have budget constraints like anywhere else, but the table is set.  If we spend wisely, we can meet any goals that come from this plan. Now, let’s set some goals.

Ready, set, PLAN!

First the good.  Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield made public their plans to build a new data center in The Meadows Technology Park.  The 17,000 sf data center will employ up to 20 people and represents a significant investment in our community by one of Arkansas most trusted names.  These are jobs for the next generation and our community is rightly proud to have them.

Now the bad.  IC Corporation (AMTRAN for you locals) announced the layoff of up to 477 employees.  This represents over half of their workforce.  Essentially, all bus assembly will be moving to their Tulsa, OK facility.  Many jobs at the plant will remain.  Fabrication, engineering, support services, pricing and some others.  This is a blow to our regional manufacturing economy.  Here at the CDC (our local economic development non-profit) we will spend coming weeks trying to assess any cascading impacts.  Specifically, what area suppliers may be affected.  Our neighboring cities and counties will be feeling the same (if not greater) sting that we will.  Our mission at the CDC is to see these jobs replaced.  The people losing their jobs represent the same skilled workforce that makes this economy great. Their skills, knowledge and expertise offer a great opportunity for any new or existing industry.

Today, we try to get a clear message out to the community and local media.  Monday, we plan and begin recovery.

Stay tuned for more updates.

ChamberJamie is the creative genius behind the Conway Chamber's coed line of denim vests and jewel tone blazers

Name?  Jamie Ekenseair (eck-in-sire)

What do you do here exactly?  Assistant to Brad Lacy, TJ Johnston, Jamie Gates, and anyone else in the building who needs my help.

How long have you worked at the Chamber?  Since August 2008

If you didn’t live here, where would you like to live?  Florida

What is your biggest flaw?  Procrastination

What natural talent would you most like to possess?  Music Composition

Have you ever won a prize in a contest?  An Arby’s combo meal from answering a radio trivia question about Restless Heart.  (every part of that sentence makes me cool)

What do you spend most of your money on?  Eating out/clothing for child

What’s something that can always make you feel better?  Shopping

Favorite month?  May

Have you ever worked in a restaurant? Where?   Yes. Nashville Country Club

Who and where was the last concert you went to?  Michael Buble

When is the last time you went to a party?  Last month

When is the next time you’ll hit up a club?  Probably never

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what?  Fajitas

What is your least favorite food?  Tomatoes, Broccoli, Mushrooms

What’s one place you’ve never been but would like to visit?  Hawaii

What are three things you would like to do you have not yet done?  Design a children’s clothing line, be in times square on New Years Eve, take culinary classes.

When was the last time you hand washed the dishes?  Yesterday

Ever toilet papered someone’s house?  Of course

If you won $10 million dollars what would you do with it?  Travel

Are you named after a grandparent?  Yes- Paternal Grandfather James

What’s something you’re scared of?  Clowns/overalls/clogs

What was your favorite game as a kid?  Chinese Checkers (with my Grandmother)

 Learn more about ChamberJamie by following her on Twitter @chamberjamie