Category: Podcast Episode

Jay Byers was a highly requested guest to have on Chamber Chat Podcast. As Jay leads the Greater Des Moines Partnership (#DSMUSA) and is the current chair of ACCE, it was a pleasure to have him on the show.

For this episode, we focused our discussion around the idea of how your Chamber can tell the story of your community by leveraging your rankings. There are many resources and media outlets who conduct surveys, do the research, and produce lists to showcase the “best” cities in certain categories.

Is your community showing up on any of these lists? Are there lists that you would like to compete for a ranking on? Do you see any similar or competing communities on these lists?

Jay tells how The Partnership has been able to leverage some of their rankings. He even talks about how they get their members and community to engage and to help in telling their story by using the hashtag #DSMUSA.

If you would like to connect with Jay about anything he discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see his contact information below:

• Email: jbyers@dsmpartnership.com
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Jeff Rea is everywhere while he actively serves as the President & CEO of both the South Bend Regional Chamber and the The Greater Niles Chamber. In addition to running both Chambers, he also host a local TV program among several other activities that he is able to leverage as he talks about his Chambers.

While Jeff may be more of the exception than the rule when it comes to raising your Chamber’s profile in your community, he does cover several great ways to help your organization and your members.

One tip that he shared was to try to drive the news cycle as much as possible. This allows for news outlets to look to your organization for information and you highlight your members who fit within certain news stories.

If you would like to connect with Jeff about anything he discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see his contact information below:

• Email: jrea@sbrchamber.com
• Phone: 574-400-4000

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

I am grateful we had Graham Cobb, President & CEO of the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber to address the topic of placemaking. Bentonville has done an incredible job making their community attractive to new businesses, residents, as well as visitors.

As we know, economic development is multifaceted and the draw for an individual or a business to make a move needs to be very compelling. Bentonville hits on every level to make their argument.

In our discussion, Graham talks about the many things that make Bentonville great. He talks about the museums, the arts, their ties with Walmart, and how they became the mountain bike capital of the world. Just as important as each of these highlights, is the accessibility for everyone to use these great features.

If you would like to connect with Graham about anything he discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see his contact information below:

• Email: gcobb@greaterbentonville.com
• Instagram
• becausebentonville.com

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Nancy Keefer, President & CEO of the Daytona Regional Chamber is our guest on the podcast this week to discuss the power that comes from your professional network.

When thinking of your professional network, you might have a rather general first reaction as to what that means. Nancy touches on several aspects of different networks such as your peer network, masterminds, and even creating alliances with other Chambers around you.

There are a variety of networks available for you to tap into if you know what you are looking for. In Chamber world, I believe that it is best to learn from others in the industry, hence this podcast! Nancy shares how she has made some strong and lasting relationships with other Chamber professionals that she can lean on for support or guidance when needed.

If you would like to connect with Nancy about anything she discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see her contact information below:

• Email: Nancy@DaytonaChamber.com

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Brandom Gengelbach is a really hard name for me to say, especially when my name is Brandon, but he was a great guest to have on Chamber Chat Podcast. Brandom is the President & CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.

Brandom and I had an interesting discussion about the modern Chamber and what that means. He focused his comments on three specific areas:

• Economic Development vs. Membership
• Merging economic development & membership benefits
• Storytelling

I also really liked his response to my question about how he sees the future of Chambers of Commerce. Brandom says that Chambers should be looking to solve the problems that are holding their members back.

If you would like to connect with Brandom about anything he discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see his contact information below:

• Cell/Text: 817-205-2900
• Email: BGengelbach@fortworthchamber.com
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Alicia Bermes joins us for this episode from the Niles Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Illinois. Alicia shares an important lesson that she learned earlier in her career as she worked with the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts organization helped her to understand the most effective way to recruit new members.

While trying to attract new members, you can pound the pavement, spend a lot on marketing, beg people to join your organization, or you can do what Alicia shares with us. You can create an experience for your membership that is remarkable. An experience that they will want to share with others and will bring others along to participate with them.

Some of the tactics that Alicia shares with us in this episode are similar to what I covered back in episode 38 when I reviewed Pat Flynn’s book “Superfans“.

If you would like to connect with Alicia about anything she discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see her contact information below:

• Email: alicia@nileschamber.com

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Matt Morrow, President & CEO of the Springfield Area Chamber joins the podcast this week to a fun discussion. We all know the old saying that we are stronger together, well Matt shares some deeper thoughts on this idea.

As we discussed topic ideas for this episode, Matt suggested the idea of sharing some thoughts that he learned from a book titled “The Wisdom of Crowds“.

Based on lessons learned from this book, Matt shares some great stories that reinforce the idea that if people can gather with others from diverse backgrounds and experience, then they are better equipped to make good decisions. Chambers of Commerce are uniquely positioned as conveners for their communities and are one of the few remaining organizations that can truly extract the wisdom of a crowd.

If you would like to connect with Matt about anything he discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see his contact information below:

• springfieldchamber.com
• Email: matt@springfieldchamber.com
• Twitter

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Matt Largen joins us this week for an important discussion about responding to racism. Over the past several months, racial inequality and racism have gained more public attention, especially after the murder of George Floyd. Matt is leading with an example to show how a Chamber of Commerce can play a role in seeing that these racial issues get the attention they deserve.

Matt share with us how Williamson, Inc. led an initiative to have the image of the confederate flag removed from their county seal. Williamson, Inc. has also established a Black Business Coalition to create a platform for voices to be hear and ideas to be shared while providing guidance and support for the members of this coalition.

If you would like to connect with Matt about anything he discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can see his contact information below:

• Email: Matt@WilliamsonChamber.com
• Twitter

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Allen Smith joins us for this episode to discuss some of the recent changes that have resulted in the formation of OneSpartanburg, Inc. which included a rebrand and a mission to create a vibrant community for business, economic and tourism development.

In this episode, Allen shares about the 5 year plan for OneSpartanburg, Inc. and how that played into their rebrand as they move towards the future.

If you would like to connect with Allen about anything he discussed in this episode or to continue this discussion offline, you can email him at asmith@spartanburgchamber.com.

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.