Aligning Your Strategic Plan with Your Body of Work with Tamara Tateosian

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability and to correct obvious transcription errors while preserving the meaning of the original conversation.

Brandon Burton (00:01)
Hello, Chamber Champions. Welcome to Chamber Chat Podcast. I’m your host, Brandon Burton, and here on the podcast, I introduce you to people and ideas to better help you serve your chamber members and your community.

Our guest for this episode is Tamara Tateosian. Tamara has served as CEO of the Callaway Chamber of Commerce in Missouri since November 2015. She previously held roles in economic development, membership, marketing, and operations on the staff at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce in Arkansas.

Tamara leads the chamber’s work to support its members and strengthen Callaway County. From business education and entrepreneurship to workforce development and community events, everything the chamber does is guided by its strategic plan. Under her leadership, the chamber has expanded these programs, earned multiple Awards of Excellence from the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri, and will be recognized as the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 2026 Chamber of the Year.

Tamara serves on several state and regional boards focused on workforce development, business, and chamber leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith, and she earned her IOM designation in 2023.

Tamara, I’m excited to have you with us today on Chamber Chat Podcast. I’d love to give you an opportunity to say hello to all the Chamber Champions who are listening. If you would, share something interesting about yourself so we can all get to know you a little better.

Tamara Tateosian (01:34)
Well, hello, Brandon. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today. Hello to all of those fabulous chambers of commerce that are listening. Thank you for tuning in today.

Brandon Burton (01:49)
We’re excited to have you here. I’d love to get to know all the guests a little more. Tell us something interesting about your background, hobbies, or something you do so we can feel like we know you as we get started.

Tamara Tateosian (02:05)
Not only am I CEO of the Callaway Chamber of Commerce, but I’m also a hobby crafter, which means I like to buy craft supplies, take them home, put them in a special room, look at them, and determine a special day when I’m going to work on that craft. It usually never happens, but it’s so much fun to buy the supplies.

Brandon Burton (02:23)
With the idea of doing it, right? That’s great. I love it.

Tell us about the Callaway Chamber. Give us an idea of the size of the chamber, staff, scope of work, and budget to set the stage for our discussion today.

Tamara Tateosian (02:50)
The Callaway Chamber of Commerce is a countywide chamber located in Fulton, Missouri. We have about 420 members with an annual budget of a little over $600,000. We focus on all of Callaway County. Callaway County is about 837 square miles, so it is a large county—about the 11th-largest county in the state of Missouri.

Brandon Burton (03:20)
That’s interesting. I’m in Texas, and we have a lot of counties—some tiny and some huge. Then you go to states like Arizona, where I think there are only a handful of counties in the entire state. When you say countywide, it’s good to have that description of the size you cover.

Are you strictly a chamber, or do you also handle tourism or economic development? What are your areas of focus?

Tamara Tateosian (03:47)
About 11 years ago, before I was hired, Callaway County brought our chamber of commerce and economic development organization under one umbrella. They are sister organizations with a contract for services to work together and focus on economic development and building businesses in our community. That is primarily our focus.

Two years ago, we also brought tourism under our strategic plan, so we do that as well at the Callaway Chamber.

Brandon Burton (04:28)
Very good. That’s a perfect segue into introducing our topic. Today, we’ll be talking about strategic plans and, specifically, aligning your strategic plan with your body of work. It sounds like you’ve been doing that for the last few years. We’ll dive deeper into that and your experiences as soon as we get back from this quick break.

All right, Tamara, we’re back. As I mentioned before the break, today we’re talking about aligning your strategic plan with your body of work—or vice versa. Aligning your body of work with your strategic plan might be the better way of looking at it.

You mentioned your economic development arrangement and tourism. You’ve taken a close look at your strategic plan and aligned your bodies of work. Tell us about creating the strategic plan, envisioning the body of work your organization wanted to pursue, and then going after it.

Tamara Tateosian (05:35)
After our restructuring in 2014, I was brought in from Arkansas to run the organization. When I arrived, we did not have a strategic plan, but I knew the vision of my board of directors was to have one that would serve as a roadmap and guide for the organization moving forward.

To kick that off, we invited many community leaders and members of the chamber, but we also invited non-members to help develop the strategic plan. Through many conversations with about 50 individuals in Callaway County, we developed the foundation of the strategic plan we have and use today.

Those were some really hard conversations. To have a good, solid strategic plan, you sometimes have to acknowledge the elephant in the room and have difficult conversations. That is how you create a plan that works not only for your organization but also addresses the needs of your members and community.

Through those strategic planning sessions, we developed our vision statement, mission statement, and five pillars. The initial pillars were economic development, supporting entrepreneurs, education, delivering value to our members, and financial responsibility so we could optimize the body of work we would undertake at the chamber.

About two years later, we revisited the plan to ensure those were still the areas we needed to work on. At that time, we added workforce development, giving us six pillars. Most recently, about two years ago, we added tourism.

Tamara Tateosian (08:05)
That sounds like a lot of work and a heavy lift, but as we progressively developed the strategic plan, the vision became: How are we going to carry out the body of work in this strategic plan in a way that benefits our community?

As I said, it was a lot of work, but we began implementing it. At that time, two people worked for the organization: myself and an economic developer. When you have five strategic pillars and two people, that is a lot of work and focus.

Over time, we hired another person who focused on delivering value to our members, marketing, and creating our brand. We didn’t just have a new strategic plan; we also had a new brand to roll out. Brand recognition for a chamber is very important. We developed a new logo to accompany our new vision and mission and help people recognize the new strategic plan.

Over the years, we have grown from two staff members to five. Each person now has a specific lane connected to the strategic plan that they focus on every day.

I am the CEO, but I’m also the economic developer for Callaway County, so I work on industrial development.

We have a business engagement coordinator who focuses on supporting entrepreneurs and membership. As she works with those businesses, she educates them about the value of chamber membership. Businesses do not necessarily have to be members of the chamber to receive business coaching services, but those conversations give us an opportunity to share the value that chamber membership could offer them as a small business.

We also have a workforce development coordinator. She helps businesses with job postings, takes students on tours for National Manufacturing Day, and handles a variety of other initiatives within that lane.

Tamara Tateosian (11:07)
We have tourism under our umbrella, so we have a tourism and marketing specialist who focuses on tourism and telling the story of the chamber and the good work we are doing. She manages social media, keeps our website up to date, and creates content for TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms. The way we communicate with our community is changing and evolving, so we always try to keep up with the times.

We also have an events coordinator, and her lane is delivering value to our members. Our members attend our business breakfasts, Business After Hours, Town & Country Dinner, annual banquet, golf tournament, and annual Teacher Appreciation Breakfast. Those events are where members see value.

Last year, in 2025, we held 122 events, all of which aligned with our strategic plan. We do not plan parades or large festivals. Our job is to provide events that align with our strategic plan and bring value to our members. Those can range from a ribbon cutting to our annual banquet or educational opportunities for entrepreneurs in Callaway County.

Brandon Burton (12:44)
A couple of things caught my attention as you explained the development of the strategic plan and its pillars. You had non-members provide input into the strategic plan, and some chamber services—specifically those for entrepreneurs—are available whether or not someone is a member.

I find that intriguing. First, what was the thinking behind having non-members help develop the chamber’s strategic plan?

Tamara Tateosian (13:21)
The thought was that if we brought non-members who were community leaders to the table, they could identify the reasons they were not chamber members. One question that emerged was, “What value does the chamber of commerce provide to me as a business owner?”

That set the stage for important conversations about our body of work. Chambers are no longer simply the place people stop to pick up a brochure or flyer because much of that information is online. How we set the stage, tell our story, and provide value to entrepreneurs and business owners is important.

Since that time, the people who were sitting at that table and saying the really hard things about the chamber—the things nobody wants to hear—have become members of the Callaway Chamber. There is nothing more satisfying than having a non-member who participated in your strategic plan walk through your door a year later and say, “Send me an invoice for membership because I love the things you are doing.”

Brandon Burton (14:55)
What was your approach to those non-member business leaders? How did you say, “We’re developing a strategic plan and would love your input, even though you’re not a member”? How did you open that door and invite them to have a voice in developing the organization’s strategic plan?

Tamara Tateosian (15:21)
Business owners who are also community leaders often have strong opinions they are willing to share, whether those opinions are positive or negative. We simply picked up the phone or visited them. Some of my board members helped because, at that point, I was fairly new to the community and had only been there for a couple of months.

It was fairly easy to convince them that they wanted a seat at the table. They were excited to tell us what they thought, even though some of those conversations were hard to hear.

Because I was new to the community, I did not develop the strategic plan myself. I assisted with facilitating the conversation. That allowed me to hear from all of the groups in the room, which was enlightening.

It also helped me realize that we needed a very good, solid foundation for the strategic plan and that we had to follow it, or we would lose members. People no longer want to see their brochure hanging on a wall. They want educational opportunities and someone to support them in their business. They don’t want me participating in a parade. There are specific things they want to see us doing.

Brandon Burton (16:46)
There is a lot of value in the fact that you were new to the community and could facilitate the conversation, gather input, and avoid becoming defensive about why things had been done a certain way. You could take inventory of what was being said, determine where the value was, and apply that to the organization.

Otherwise, you have to set aside a lot of ego and pride to listen to those hard things. Maybe non-members are also less likely to show up and voice those opinions if they see the same people who were part of the organization’s past decisions.

Let’s talk more about the entrepreneurial focus. Entrepreneurs do not necessarily have to be chamber members to receive these services, but the services provide a great opening to explain and demonstrate what the chamber can offer. Talk to us about where that entrepreneurial support came from and why it includes non-members.

Tamara Tateosian (18:10)
Some people frown upon it because they think the only services the chamber should provide are for members. We have many things that are for members only, including those 122 events I mentioned. That is our member base.

However, we have a partnership with the Small Business Development Center that allows us to use its tools in our toolbox. It has documentation systems and LivePlan for building business plans. It is important for us to make that service available to anyone with a small business.

Someone can come in with a business idea they are excited about, and we can help with market research and other needs by using the Small Business Development Center’s tools. We sometimes have to have hard conversations and say, “Yes, this is a great plan,” or, “You have some work to do.”

When you think about small businesses, it is not only someone preparing to open a business. A lot happens in between. They may have problems with financials or marketing, and that gives us an opportunity to assess why the business is not succeeding and identify the problems.

There is another element that many people do not think about when it comes to small businesses: succession planning. A business may have been operating for 30 years and built from scratch. It may be a mom-and-pop business whose owners are ready to retire—or they may be thinking about retirement 10 years from now.

We believe that if we assist them with succession planning, we can keep that business open in Callaway County instead of seeing it close. Let us help you determine your succession plan and what you will do to keep the business open. Then we may be able to keep that business here and help it transition to a new owner.

Once people come into the chamber, they realize we are a friendly group of people. We are excited to see them and ready to help with their business. They often become members because they see the value the organization offers.

Brandon Burton (20:56)
I love the idea of approaching succession planning. If someone has a mom-and-pop or small business and is looking toward retirement, they may hope one of their children will take over. But if their children have different career paths and no interest in the family business, the owners may consider closing the doors.

If you can help them see other succession opportunities, you keep a business open in your area. There is so much value in that.

For these entrepreneurs, you’re demonstrating the chamber’s value and helping on several fronts. From an educational standpoint, do you have programming that repeats every quarter or every year and focuses on different aspects of business to help entrepreneurs take off and thrive?

Tamara Tateosian (21:55)
We do many things related to education. We have a college and a university here, so we have workforce development programming for them and their students. Education is one of our pillars, and it includes K–12 schools, colleges, universities, and small businesses.

We host a monthly Zoom program called Commerce & Conversation, which provides different tips and tricks to help people succeed in business. We recently held a session focused on leadership within an organization. Those are things business owners need to know in addition to financial topics.

We also hold in-person classes. We have offered Excel classes and sessions on health insurance for small businesses because Missouri has a program that gives small businesses access to health care coverage. We have educated businesses about those opportunities.

We also hold a pitch competition every year. I believe this is our 11th year. It is called the Show-Me Innovation Pitch Competition. It gives people who are opening or expanding a small business an opportunity to pitch their idea and win seed money. First place receives $3,000, and second place receives $1,500. Participants must either have a business in Callaway County or be opening one in Callaway County.

We bring in a panel of judges, but the program is not only about the pitch. It is also about preparing people for the pitch and presentation. They may use visuals or a PowerPoint presentation, and they must present in front of the judges. They need to learn how to deliver a presentation.

We have a complete preparation process. They may need to learn about legal requirements, accounting, and many other aspects of business. It is a great educational opportunity.

Some people sign up for the competition but, as it gets closer, say, “I can’t do this. It’s too much pressure. I’ve learned all these things, and I’m thankful, but I’m not going to pitch.” Others say, “I don’t think I would have reached this point and been ready to pitch without this process.”

It is all about setting the small business up for success. When they open their doors, the most important thing to us at the Callaway Chamber is that they are prepared to succeed. We do not want them to open and close within six months.

It takes a lot of time to set up and launch a business, and we want them to remain in business for years. That affects not only that business but other businesses as well. It is important to us that they have what they need to succeed.

Brandon Burton (25:12)
Quickly, I’m curious: How many businesses enter the pitch competition each year, on average?

Tamara Tateosian (25:23)
We have had anywhere from five to nine businesses compete. Sometimes 15 people sign up, but only nine ultimately pitch.

We have also held collegiate pitch competitions for college and university students and a teen pitch competition for high school students interested in opening businesses. We have had some very cool businesses open through the teen pitch competition.

One participant opened a window-washing business. I couldn’t wait to hire him to come wash the chamber’s windows because we have some high windows. He came and did it. There is something wonderful about seeing the younger generation become excited about being entrepreneurs in the future.

Brandon Burton (26:14)
I love the excitement that comes with it. That’s why I asked how many people participate. There’s an energy that comes with it.

As we start to wrap up, I always like to ask for a tip or action item for listeners trying to take their organizations to the next level. What parting advice would you leave with them?

Tamara Tateosian (26:42)
You cannot be everything to every business in your community. Find the niche where you can be very successful and do it well.

Do not try to do many things poorly because, at the end of the day, businesses want to see that you are effective. If you have specific things you are focused on, you will be more effective than if you try to do everything.

Do not do things that are outside your strategic plan. If you do not have a strategic plan, you need to work on creating one because it will be your roadmap for success as a chamber of commerce.

Brandon Burton (27:28)
It keeps you focused and on task, that’s for sure.

Tamara, I like asking everyone on the show about the future of chambers. How do you see the future of chambers of commerce and their purpose going forward?

Tamara Tateosian (27:43)
I think chambers can be very impactful moving forward. Many chambers have existed for 100 years, and their focus has changed over those years. Some were started because communities needed infrastructure such as water, wastewater systems, or electricity.

Today, the work has changed because we need to be there to support the businesses in our communities. For your chamber to have a future and remain relevant, you need to determine what your community actually needs, based on the size and nature of that community. That is important if your organization is going to continue serving its community in the future.

Brandon Burton (28:32)
Absolutely. Before I let you go, I want to give you an opportunity to share contact information for listeners who want to connect with you and learn more about how you developed your strategic plan, your approach, or your vision. Where would you point them, and what are the best ways to connect?

Tamara Tateosian (28:51)
My name is Tamara Tateosian, and I’m with the Callaway Chamber of Commerce in Fulton, Missouri. I can be reached by email at tamara@callawaychamber.net.

Callaway has two A’s and not an A and an O like the golf company. That’s important if you want to reach me. You can also reach me at the office at 573-642-3055.

I would love to talk and connect with you. If you are not attending Institute and earning your IOM, I highly encourage you to do that.

Brandon Burton (29:34)
Absolutely. We’ll include your contact information in the show notes to make it easy to connect.

Tamara, thank you for setting aside time to join us and share your experience with strategic planning and aligning it with your body of work. I can see the impact it is making in Fulton and throughout Callaway County. Keep blazing trails. You are doing awesome things. Thank you.

Tamara Tateosian (30:01)
Thank you for having me, Brandon. This has been fun. I greatly appreciate it, and if anyone wants to connect, please reach out.