Hull shares Chamber update as 2019 arrives

Greenfield Chamber/Main Street Executive Director Stacie Hull wants her organization’s programs to be open to anyone while keeping the system fair for all. That’s why she and her board have reorganized their investment levels for area businesses.

“We’re a 501c3, so we’re similar to a church or other charitable organizations. We do things for the betterment of the community, so instead of having members we have investors. There are different investment levels that you can get involved with our organization, and we’ve changed that up quite a bit this year,” Hull said.

Hull said that her best guess is that investment levels have not changed for Chamber/Main Street in the last 10 years. Some businesses from other communities that directly compete with local businesses have wanted to join Greenfield’s chamber.

“At the start, these were a lot of businesses that didn’t compete with businesses in our community, but we had a bank from another community that wanted to join and our banks are two of our strongest partners and investors,” Hull said. “If we’re a charitable organization for the betterment of the community, we should be very inclusive, but also make sure that the businesses that are strong here and choosing to operate here, they’re still getting increased benefits.”

New Sustaining Levels of Investment, which are only for Adair County businesses and community members, are Bronze ($350), Silver ($650), Gold ($1,500) and Platinum ($3,000). With each level comes services through Greenfield Chamber/Main Street that includes visibility online and through social media of varying degrees.

“Last year we did a Facebook campaign. We started with about 400 followers on our Facebook page and now we’re at about 1,200, so we’ve increased that much in a year,” Hull said. “We were doing Meet us Mondays, Feature Fridays and Shout-out Saturdays. We did a lot of business features and those were ranging between 1,000 and 5,000 views, so we’re getting good leverage of exposure. This year, based on your involvement, you’ll get more [features].”

Basic Investment Levels are $300 for Non-Adair County businesses or organizations, $50 for an Adair County individual, $100 for an Adair County non-profit and $200 for an Adair County Business or Organization.

“Stuart and Adair each have their own active chambers, so it’s not like we’re going to be in Stuart trying to actively recruit members on the Adair County side, but this appreciates and shows the whole of Adair County and how we can break that down into levels,” Hull said. “Especially in our [Nodaway Valley] school district, I kind of feel all of our communities are one, but we also try to support Orient quite a bit and share ideas with them quite a bit.”

Greenfield Chamber/Main Street had an eventful 2018 that will be remembered and celebrated at the annual meeting, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 28, at 5:30 p.m. at Hotel Greenfield. Free appetizers and a cash bar will be available. Community Impact Awards will also be presented that evening.