NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT) — Citing the need to spend more time with his growing construction business, Redbank Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Wills tendered his resignation from the board.
Vice President Gordon Barrows was elected to serve as Acting President until the group’s annual organizing meeting in April.
The board voted to put Jamie Lefever in Bill Wills’ seat. Board member Elaine Wise also tendered her resignation. The board approved a motion to place Mary Benton in that seat. Gordon Barrows reflected the group’s thoughts when he said that “although it is always sad to see someone leave a group it was exciting to know that Bill’s business is growing enough to need him there more.”
Gordon Barrows told the assembly that the Redbank Chamber had been accepted into Trinity Solutions’ Affinity Program. By being an Affinity Partner, chamber members will be able to take advantage of Trinity Solutions’ services at a group rate. Not only will chamber members save money, they will also be helping the chamber receive additional revenue generated through the program. The Redbank Valley Chamber should expect to be able to start taking advantage of these services within the next couple of weeks.
Committee work is beginning for the Chamber’s annual events. Dianna Brothers reported that things are in good shape for the Annual Dinner coming up on April 8th at Snug Harbor. She reported that the rennovations at the venue have turned out nicely, and it looks good for the event. Chamber members will be solicited soon to donate items for the Chinese Auction held at the dinner. Proceeds from the auction help to defray some of the costs of the dinner.
Ty Poster reported that things are coming together for the golf outing scheduled for May 9th at Pinecrest Golf Club in Brookville. The new golf pro begins work at the club later in March, and Ty says final details of the golf outing will be ironed out after that. The committee is considering changing from previous years’ beef steak fare to a buffet dinner.
Judy Hetrick told the directors that there was not a lot more planning that can be done for the Farmer’s Market right now. The committee and area farmers will have to get a feel for when the first of the season’s produce will be ready for market.
“At this point, it pretty much depends on the weather,” Mrs. Hetrick said.
Community yard sales are planned for June 2nd and 3rd. The chamber will only be involved in promoting the event. Promotion and announcements will go out later in May.
Following last month’s Peanut Butter Festival community meeting, Gordon Barrows reported that he and Lisa Kerle will be co-chairing the event. Gordon said that at this point, he was on a “listening tour” of event chairmen and sponsors. He is seeking their input into how the chamber can make the festival a more successful event. Once he and Lisa gather more input, they will be reaching out to community volunteers to begin the “nitty gritty” of putting it all together.
After a successful 2016 Big Buck Contest, Gordon told the board that the New Bethlehem Fire Department is hoping to use profits from this past year to improve their equipment for future Big Buck Contests.
The board discussed consideration for chamber members who own more than one business in the community. Some chambers offer discount membership fees for multiple businesses with one owner. There are several such in the Redbank Valley Chamber, and the board will consider if such a plan is feasible and how it might be implemented. The idea was referred to committee for research.
There was a discussion related to how recent events within the board had shown the need to update the organization’s bylaws to catch up with technology. The bylaws currently require a five-day notice for a special meeting of the Board. Gordon pointed out that sometimes, opportunities can be missed while waiting five days. It may be time, Gordon suggested, for special meetings to be able to be called on 24-hour notice. With ubiquitous access to mail and text messaging, this can be very reasonable. He also suggests that members be allowed to vote at special meetings by email or teleconference with amendments to the bylaws. Gordon related that he had drafted a proposal and forwarded it to Chuck Leach for review and comment prior to presenting to the membership for a vote.
And, on the subject of technology, Rich McGarrity told the board that he has looked into changing ISP for the chamber office. Moving the service to Windstream looks like it could save the chamber about $450 per year with faster internet service. Directors voted for Rich to proceed with the change.
Lastly, Gordon offered several things that he had been thinking about recently. He suggested that it would help him to develop a “to do list” from each board meeting. He said this would help him stay focused on the things that the board expects from him between meetings. Gordon also related that he thinks, all things considered, that the board should begin each of their meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. The board concurred, and Rich will try to determine if the pledge and prayer would require a bylaw change.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for April 6th.
