Last fall in preparation for the Board of Directors Annual Planning Session we conducted a member survey to pin point the concerns of our members.  In the next couple of months, I will address some of the comments we received. If you would like more information or more input once you have read my response, please call me at 972-264-1558 and let's discuss. This is OUR chamber and I want to make it the best it can be.

The Question:

The Chamber acts as an advocate for the Grand Prairie business community. What issues should the Chamber focus on?

Responses:

Stay on course. Don't change what you are doing.

Continue the Grand work to promote GP businesses!

My Comments: We do want to continue our efforts to support and promote Grand Prairie as a community and as a great environment for new businesses. That said, we are committed to continuous improvement.

Bring more businesses to GP

Bring additional large business to the area

My Comments: The Chamber's role in Grand Prairie Economic Development is to sustain a good business environment that will support and promote the City's efforts to attract and retain viable businesses to our community. We also provide resources to individuals who come to us wanting to start a business in Grand Prairie. (See the website at www.grandprairiechamber.org and click on Starting a Business)

Most large chain businesses are run with a Business Model, a formula that indicates whether a particular location is suited for their business model.  This usually includes the number of rooftops in a specific circumference around the location, the household income and the household demographics. So, if we are interested in bringing a particular chain restaurant or a retail company to our City, our best chance is to first fit their model.  Once we fit their model, our City staff under Bob O'Neal does an extraordinary job of making it easy to do business here.

Likewise, other large businesses do an incredible amount of research to determine whether Grand Prairie is a fit for their business. In Grand Prairie, we have found that our most effective approach is to partner with developers to determine locations and types of projects that fit the Master Plan of the City. The developers then work with their potential tenants to bring businesses here.

In the case of industrial type businesses, as they do their due diligence, the City Economic Development personnel works very closely with them to clear the way for them to select Grand Prairie as their location..

Taxes, health care, free enterprise

Issues that may be common to us all

My Comments: These issues are addressed through our Legislative and Governmental Affairs Committee.  If you have specific issues you would like to raise to gain chamber support, this committee is ready to listen. The Chairman of that committee this year is Mary Jean Moloney. You can e-mail her at mary.moloney@atmosenergy.com or me at lynn@grandprairiechamber.org

Since the chamber is the voice of business in the community, this is the way to use the organization to address common issues once they are identified.

Involving businesses with other businesses

Helping chamber members get to know each other

My Comments: The best way we have found to address these issues is through the various Networking events that we sponsor.  They include: Business Exchange Breakfast, Monthly Chamber Luncheons, and Business After Hours. This provides opportunities to members in the Morning, Afternoon and Evening so that each member can find the event that best suits their schedule.

These are not social events, though they may be perceived as such.  The most experienced and successful chamber members use these events to get involved with one another, to create affinity groups for business leads, to allow business representatives to get to "know, like and trust" each other so they can do business together.

In addition to these events, when we create committees for various events, members of those committees get to know each other on a more personal basis as they work on a common project. We have seen lifelong business and personal relationships formed in these intimate settings.

Diversity within the community

My Comments:  The chamber is an organization welcoming all businesses regardless of ethnicity, business size or industry.

We seek diversity in building our Board of Directors in that we look for a balance of representatives of small, medium and large businesses. We also look for people who can contribute their ideas, volunteer hours, connections in the community and financial support. I believe if you look at our Board, you will find that we are diverse in that we reflect our membership.

Promoting the chamber as a community resource

My Comments: The chamber wants to be a business resource in the community.  We provide business training seminars, counseling to businesses, business referrals, and a community calendar.  We are open to all businesses for profit and non- profit. Our building can be used by our members with no fees. We are accessible by phone to answer a myriad of calls from visitors and residence providing information from "Where can I rent a pot bellied pig" to " What number do I call to get a copy of my birth certificate" to "Where do I vote?" etc.

If you have a specific idea as to how we can promote ourselves as a resource, please call or e-mail me with your ideas. It is our goal to be responsive to our members.

Selling and customer service

My Comments: If these topics are of interest to you, please watch the newsletter for dates and time of our Business Seminar Series. Right now, we have the Ramona Logan Business Series and the Tom Hart Business Series coming up.  These topics and more will be addressed.  I hope you can join us.  These seminars are at no cost to chamber members and to Grand Prairie businesses, so make plans to join us!

I hope this format will provide you information that can help you use your chamber membership to maximize your investment.  In the up coming months, I will continue to respond to issues raised in the Member Survey.  If you ever want to chat, e-mail me or pick up the phone and call me. OUR chamber staff wants to be the best it can be in serving our community.  With YOUR input we can continue to work toward that goal.

                                                                                               We Mean Business.

                                                                                                Lynn