Photo courtesy of Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber receives the Leadership in Grassroots Advocacy Award from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce in 2016
When the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce was incorporated on Dec. 5, 1967, there were five signatures on the agreement.
Today, membership numbers are in the 600s. And as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Chamber is not just continuing to grow. It’s evolving, taking the lessons of the last five decades and figuring out how to best apply them to ensure the brightest future possible.
Guiding Principles
The Chamber’s mission upon its founding was to unite businesses, and to enhance the business climate and quality of life. Though its methods of achieving those goals have, by necessity, changed, the goals themselves remain in place.
“That is still today what we want to impact,” says Chamber President and CEO Janet Tressler-Davis. “We strive to do (that) every day, so we really haven’t strayed too much from the crux of the Chamber of Commerce.”
The Chamber also continues to encourage businesses to support one another, an effort that has made an impact on the closeness of the business community.
Photo courtesy of Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber's Golden Gala in November
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to give back to the community, especially the business community, which is something that I serve professionally and have a vested interest in, because I also live here,” says Gwen Nichols of Nichols & Company CPAs, president of the Chamber’s board of trustees. “The Chamber is a big part of building a community.”
In celebration of its 50 years, the Chamber will be honoring some of its long-standing linchpin members throughout 2018.
“We’re going to be highlighting the businesses that have been part of our Chamber membership for all 50 years,” says Chamber Marketing and Communications Manager Matt Lofy.
Those businesses are Associated Insurance Agencies Inc., Moreland Funeral Home and Westerville Square Inc.
Planning
The Chamber had 286 members when Davis started, which means membership has more than doubled in that quarter-century.
But there’s more to gauging Westerville’s business success than membership numbers. Smart planning has helped ensure Westerville’s future, Davis says, and Chamber members often point to the city of Westerville’s smart strategies for growth as a major difference-maker. Likewise, the Chamber is a tireless advocate for smart growth strategies.
“I think we’ve seen very responsible management of our city resources and very responsible growth,” Nichols says.
“We always join the chamber when we build a shopping center in a community. …I would say Westerville is probably the best run out of all of them.” –George Hadler, CEO, the Hadler Companies (property manager for 50-year member Westerville Square Inc)
The city’s annexation, 22 years ago, of 941 acres near the northern end of the city – the land on which the new Renaissance hotel is now being built – was a key acquisition, Davis says, contributing to a solid base of commercial development. It’s taken time for development to get going, but the land has assuredly helped the city compete with surrounding communities.
“That 941 acres definitely put us on the map,” Davis says.
Another key change that has helped Westerville remain competitive, Davis says, was the mid-2000s passage of liquor options allowing alcohol to be sold Uptown. Uptown had once been a destination due to unique boutique businesses such as Calico Cupboard and the Blue Goose, she says, but it was facing fierce competition from other cities’ downtown areas, and the liquor option gave visitors more to do.
Finding a Home
After 25 years as president and CEO of the Chamber, Davis has a list of landmark Chamber accomplishments a mile long.
But, to her, one of the key indicators of the growth of Westerville’s business community has been the growth of the Chamber itself.
When she started, the Chamber had a 700-square-foot office in what is now the meeting space at Jimmy V’s Grill & Pub in Uptown Westerville, sharing the space with the Westerville Visitors & Convention Bureau. It soon moved to the old post office space at 28 S. State St., but found that space too large and the building maintenance too trying.
Chamber staff worked with board members to find land for a new office. The current office space on Commerce Parkway – named for the Chamber, as you might guess – became home in late 2002. The Chamber leases one-third of its space, and its current tenant has been in place for five years.
Growth
Chamber programming has expanded significantly in recent years.
Two of the Chamber’s regular events are legacy events: the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce Music & Arts Festival, which will celebrate its 45th birthday in July, and the Evening of Elegance in November. More recent additions are the Taste of Westerville, which takes place in May this year, and the Westerville Young Professionals’ Network’s Uptown Shuffle in June.
“The (Young Professionals Network) has really grown in their programming, from a couple of networking events to structured business and education seminars and professional training,” says Davis.
The Young Professionals Network is one of many special interest groups the Chamber has started to better serve certain segments of the business community. Others include the Women in Business Network, the CPA Network, the Westerville Bar Association and Small Office Home Office (SOHO).
“I’ve really seen how the Chamber has grown as an organization and gotten more involved in helping support business activities in the city of Westerville and at the state level.” –Bill Bishop, president, Associated Insurance Inc.
There’s also the Leadership Westerville program, which has grown from seven weeks to nine months over its 27 years of existence. Though the program has its own board, it’s coordinated by the Chamber and managed by Lofy.
The Chamber itself has grown, too. When Davis joined the Chamber 25 years ago, the only other staff position was a part-time gig occupied by Phyllis Allen. Today, there are five full-time staffers and one part-timer, the most recent addition having been the membership development manager position occupied by Kim Kellogg.
The Future
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the Chamber will recognize where it’s been, but Davis estimates that entails only about a quarter of 2018’s programming.
More important, she says, is looking ahead and seeing how the organization can transform.
“We want to make sure we’re on the forefront in providing services that our members need,” Davis says.
The annual membership survey in January will help the Chamber figure out its next goals, and how it can continue to add new members and retain existing ones. It’s not growth for the sake of growth, she says; it’s to have a bigger base for networking. United businesses mean a more united community, with greater opportunities to share ideas and for members to volunteer in the community.
Photo courtesy of Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce
“We do have a very engaged community … and that makes people feel more connected,” says Davis.
Among the Chamber’s priorities is bringing in more and bigger speakers for events. Upcoming speakers include John Formica, “The Ex-Disney Guy,” on Jan. 23 and Janet Meeks, author and former president of Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital, on Feb. 13.
It also aims to launch a new website in early 2018.
Annual Meeting
Photo courtesy of Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce
The first major event on the Chamber’s 2018 calendar is its Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon, slated for Jan. 23.
The highlight of the day will be a new addition to the programming: a speaking engagement with John Formica, which precedes the luncheon at 8:30 a.m.
Formica, a former Disney executive, now works as a consultant, showing businesses how they can have a corporate culture like Disney’s. Formica is a high-caliber speaker, Davis says, and will offer attendees an opportunity they’re unlikely to find elsewhere.
“We’ve had some businesses help us make it possible, and our board will be helping us make it possible, too,” she says.
Following two sessions from Formica and a short break, the chamber will hand out its awards for Business Person of the Year, Young Professional of the Year and Small and Large Businesses of the Year.
Get Involved
50th Anniversary Business Seminar Followed by Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon: 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Jan. 23, Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center
A Night with the Author: Janet Meeks: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, Battelle Fine Arts Center
As of December, and all throughout 2018, Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn in Uptown Westerville has a special variety in acknowledgment of the Chamber’s golden anniversary.
Commerce Crunch is caramel popcorn with crushed pretzels and a blue-and-white drizzle. It will be available at a variety of Chamber events.
Business Milestone Memories
George Hadler, CEO, the Hadler Companies: Redevelopment of Uptown Westerville, rebuilding of Westerville City Hall
Jack Moreland, owner, Moreland Funeral Home: Spearheading the Christmas Parade
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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