Image improvement suggested for Fort Smith chamber leadership

The volunteer leadership of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce has some clean up work to do in addition to searching for a new chamber president, according to results of an informal survey conducted by The City Wire.

(The City Wire staff would like to note that this is an informal, unscientific survey.)

Initial results released Dec. 21 indicated that most area business and civic leaders do not think the next chamber president must have chamber experience. Chamber President Tom Manskey is leaving the post effective Jan. 30.

The entirety of the responses indicate concern about the chamber’s past performance and a minor lack of confidence in the chamber’s ability to find a capable chamber president.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being dismal performance and 10 being excellent performance, the respondents gave the chamber’s recent performance an average score of 4.6.

“The chamber can create excitement and enthusiasm, but the absence of follow-through leaves us in need of a bailout,” noted one response to this question.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no confidence and 10 being full confidence, the respondents gave an average score of 4.7 when asked how confident they are that chamber leadership will hire an effective and aggressive chamber president capable of providing solid regional leadership.

“Without changes in the organizational structure, the current leadership will only repeat the mistakes of the past,” noted a respondent.

However, Philip Merry, president of Bowen, Miclette, Britt & Merry of Arkansas, gave the chamber leadership a confidence score of 10.

“(Roger) Meek is sharp as a tack and he’ll get the job done well,” Merry noted.

Also, all respondents noted the importance of the chamber as a regional business organization, and expressed hope that it would be placed back on the right track with a new chamber president.

Comments received following the Dec. 21 report by The City Wire include:

• Who should the chamber hire: “Someone who can be part of a team to develop and implement a plan for bringing higher tech jobs to our region. Must understand the psyche of site selectors and the companies they represent, but be confident enough to not give away the store to get them here.”

• Who should the chamber hire: “Someone with a track record of successful business experience in a competitive environment who believes in and practices servant leadership.”
 
• “This will be the best opportunity to create a regional economic development corporation that will be accountable to everyone in the region, not just the business members of the Fort Smith chamber.”
 
• “The chamber needs to move its governance into the 21st Century. The days of a few trusted people to call the shots went out 10-15 years ago. The chamber needs to be more inclusive in its decision making. Gen X-ers, Y-ers and the Millenials don’t trust a ‘closed’ decision making system. Many of us baby boomers don’t either. Transparency is here to stay. The sooner the chamber leadership recognizes this, the sooner they’ll start engendering regional confidence in what they do.”

• “This chamber, like most others, is too insular, provincial, secretive and full of hot air. Economic development must be regional in focus and that will require structural changes to include all the stakeholders.”