March Minutes 2008
Place:
College of Saint Benedict - Teresa Reception Center
Date:
March 18, 2008
Sponsor: Events Extraordinaire
Introductions
Secretary's Report: 1st/2nd
Treasurer's Report: 1st/2nd
Janelle reviewed purpose of the St. Joseph Chamber (insert 3
areas). She also reviewed the "rules" of the brainstorming
session. The large group was separated into smaller "thinking
stations to review the positive, negatives, and future goals of the
Chamber.
Positive
Longevity / Long standing
presence in the community
The community event support (santa
day, winter warm-up)
Opportunity to network and
communicate
Leadership and volunteer
opportunities
Platform to gain business
Gain a broader understanding of
St. Josepjh
Unifying image of St. Joseph
Opportunity to sponsor research
Education / Business opportunity
Linking people involved /
providing name to faces
Reach a wide range of audience
Honoring the History of St.
Joeseph and providing innovation opportunities
Helps establish a platform of
pride within the community
Develop the relationships /
provide social business base
Shared voice among business,
organizations and religious connections
Collective problem solving
Negative
Lack of volunteerism
Lack of staff
Lack of ownership from the
members
Lack of direction / effectiveness
- Determining our role in the community and direction we should be
taking
Lack of diversity and/or
membership
Shy away from controversial
issues (don't take a stand on local issues)
Too much attention on community
events
Too comfortable in the way things
are done (a bit old school)
Lack of agenda
Too many splinter groups with no
cohesiveness - to many people doing same thing and not duplicating
efforts - lack of synergy
Rehashing issues
As a new member hard to find a
place in the group
Lack of business networking
Name Tags
Lack of marketing of St. Joseph
chamber
Lack with close relationship with
the city
No interaction with economic
development
Faltering participation /
communication
Lack of location / office to
Lack of mentors to gear upcoming
leaders
Need to create recognition awards
to highlight local
Lack of connection to other
communities
Need to establish a credibility
in the community (endorsements)
Support and encourage residents
to "shop St. Joseph" creating a culture of business loyalty
Goals
Increase status / significance in
the community
Creating a system of measurement
/ assessment of goals (raise membership, raise funds, etc)
Increase membership with
membership committee and retain membership
Starting recognition program
Reinstating the welcoming
committee (could be part of membership committee)
Turning chamber members into
active participants (mentoring program, communication between
chamber and members etc)
Increase identity in the
community, promotions, marketing, and communication
Staff a location/hire someone to
perform Chamber tasks
Each person participating was asked to choose their top 3 goals.
The results will be presented at the next meeting. Thank you to all
who participated. It was an exciting and worthwhile effort.
Respectfully submitted,
Janelle Von Pinnon
President
St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce
