Chamber plans to hire executive director

After holding a brief business meeting, Vandalia Chamber of Commerce President Dana Whiteman used the bulk of last Wednesday’s monthly meeting to outline “a new direction” the board is charting for the organization.

She said that the changes, which had been talked about for some time, had been hammered out in more detail at a July 15 planning session that included the board and others with a history of involvement with the chamber.
“We talked about our organizational structure,” Whiteman said. “Our members are volunteers, and they have limited time available. We decided that the best avenue was to hire an executive director.”
She said that the position would be between 32 and 40 hours per week, and would replace the current part-time administrative assistant position.
Whiteman said that having an executive director would give the organization some continuity that is difficult to achieve when presidents rotate in and out every year. They also would work with the board to develop a business plan for the organization, and then serve as the link between the organization and its members.
“We want this person to be in businesses, talking with members and non-members,” Whiteman said. “They would have a high profile in the community – and they would work with the government officials, both locally and on the state level, to support the recruitment of businesses into the community.”
Communication with members would be a priority, she said, with the executive director being responsible for the chamber’s website and its newsletter.
Whiteman also said that the board has developed a new mission statement for the chamber: "The Vandalia Chamber of Commerce serves its members by encouraging and supporting business growth, economic development, tourism and networking opportunities."
After Whiteman laid out the goals and plans for the position, the meeting was opened for discussion among members.
Dale Timmermann asked about the funding for the position. He said that the organization had tried the executive director position about 25 years ago. “We had some grants in the beginning, but once those grants ran out, we couldn’t afford the position,” he said.
Mark Burnam responded that the organization would use the money currently being paid for a part-time position, and said that the chamber had about $10,000 in a savings account.
“Right now, we’re just treading water,” Burnam said. “We’re hoping that this change could energize our organization.”
Ben Timmermann, current chamber vice president, added that another option for securing funding would be to “change the membership dues structure.”
Sally Emerick said that when a person is hired for the position, “we must make sure that they know that fundraising is a part of the job.”
Mary Truitt asked how the person in the new position would call on members and raise funds if they have to also be in the office to welcome people at the tourist information center.
Joe Sprague responded that tourism funds provide for a second person at the center two days per week, and that the executive director could use those days to do the out-of-office work. “Having two full days for them to get out is more than we’re doing now,” he said.
Debra Hughes said that member retention should be a very important part of the executive director’s job.
“They must go out and meet with the members,” she said. “The executive director is a resource person; they’re an extension of the organization. They can help members find answers to their questions. That service is extremely important to retain members.”
Whiteman said that Greg Starnes, current chamber secretary, will be heading the committee that will interview candidates for the position. “The success of this effort will depend on getting the right person to fill the position,” he said.