2010 chamber agenda includes raising job recruitment funds

That Baldor Electric Co. Chairman and CEO John McFarland would agree to serve a year as the volunteer chairman of the board for the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce is a clear example of “the very positive changes” made at the chamber in the past 12 months.

That is the sentiment of outgoing board chairman Roger Meek Jr., who served during a tenure in which Tom Manskey left the job as chamber president, Sandy Sanders served as interim chamber president and Paul Harvel was hired as the new chamber president.

A large crowd of chamber members attended the chamber’s First Friday breakfast (Jan. 8) for the first public unveiling of the chamber’s 2010 goals among its five divisions: Economic Development; Health Care; Governmental Affairs; Education & Quality of Place; and Membership & Marketing.

Meek said McFarland would not have accepted the volunteer job a year ago because he “doesn’t have time to sit on boards that are just lunch crews.” But with new leadership and new direction in place, Meek said, McFarland believed his time would be productive.

“I’m not that busy,” McFarland said with laughter following. (He’s the chairman and CEO of a global manufacturing company that posted $1.95 billion in sales in 2008, employs about 8,000 in 28 plants and has operations in more than 80 countries.)

“I hope we’re a little busier in 2010 than we were in 2009,” McFarland added, with the ensuing laughter carrying a not-so-funny understanding of the past and ongoing difficulties faced by the U.S. manufacturing sector during this recession.

In pointing out a reason he accepted the chamber chairmanship, McFarland reminded the audience of a response given by the legendary American oilman and industrialist John Paul Getty when asked about the real secret to success. Getty noted, according to McFarland: “Some people discover oil and some people don’t.” McFarland quickly followed that by saying Fort Smith discovered oil when it recruited Barbara and Paul Harvel to Fort Smith. (Barbara was recently hired as the director of development for the U.S. Marshals Museum.)

McFarland said Chamber President Paul Harvel has “created a lot of enthusiasm” for the chamber and the community. Part of the enthusiasm is contained in the plans of the different divisions, McFarland said as he segued into comments from the division chairs.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Division Chair Rob Ratley, the area manager of OG&E, said top goals for the division in 2010 are:
• Implement an economic development funds campaign;
• Implement a business retention and expansion program;
• Create a regional economic development alliance; and
• Implement a 2010 prospect development plan.

Ratley said economic development funds raised earlier in the decade in the “Jobs for the River Valley” campaign helped land Mitsubishi and Oxane and other companies coming to the area in recent years.

“Successful chambers around the state are the ones who have economic development funds,” Ratley told the crowd, “and we’re getting close to exhausting those funds.”

Ratley also stressed the chamber would push harder to support existing business and industry. That push will include training a volunteer group to “go out into the community” and learn more about needs and opportunities among local employers.

HEALTH CARE
The Fort Smith region has challenges in the medical sector, but Jason Green believes the region is well situated to handle the issues. Green, chair of the chamber’s Health Care division and the vice president-human resources for Baldor Electric, said the Arkansas Health Education Center (AHEC) in Fort Smith — a physician training operation affiliated with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — and health education programs at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith will allow the region to “grow our own” with respect to providing medical care professionals for area citizens.

“We are very fortunate to have these resources here,” Green said.

The goals of the Health Care division are:
• Increase awareness and support of AHEC;
• Increase awareness of local “world-class” training resources;
• Provide chamber members ongoing education about federal health care system changes; and
• Create a community-wide wellness “culture and initiative.”

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
McFarland said the chamber and community must more to create relationships and improve communication with officials in Washington, D.C. and Little Rock. (Division Chairman Ricky Cross was not able to attend the Friday meeting.)

The four goals of the division are:
• Conduct a Fort Smith area only “Fly In” to Washington (tentatively scheduled for the second week of March);
• Host a luncheon during the 2011 Arkansas legislative session;
• Develop an agenda for the 2011 Arkansas legislative session;
• Begin “data work” to increase the number of Fort Smith area people on state boards and commissions.

EDUCATION & QUALITY OF PLACE
Philip Merry, division chairman, said the simple goal of the division is to “foster a buzz” with activities and then “find ways to sustain” the buzz. The division has already hit the ground running with its leadership on the Christmas Honors project that resulted the placement of 12,000 wreaths at headstones at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.

The division’s 2010 goals are:
• Develop a “curb appeal” initiative;
• Create an arts alliance council (culture & heritage initiative);
• Push an “Education is Cool” initiative; and
• Push a “Go Green” conservation initiative.

Ashley Ellis, a member of the division, said the education component includes strengthening chamber and business relationships with all area colleges. Lea Taylor said division members developed 136 “good ideas” for quality of place improvements and narrowed them down to the four areas on which to focus in 2010.

Merry said the division is like the “utility infielder” on a baseball team who “goes where ever to help the team.”

MEMBERSHIP MARKETING & SERVICES
Sharla Lau, division chair and Realtor with Coldwell Banker Fleming-Lau Realty, said the best intentions of the chamber are realized only if the chamber has access to financial resources.

The top goal of the division is to “grow the financial resources of the chamber” by increasing its membership to 1,350, Lau said. For perspective, Lau noted that the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce in Northwest Arkansas has 2,102 members.

Another goal of the division is to conduct a “total resource campaign” that packages chamber memberships, advertising and sponsorships of chamber events. The “packages” are then sold to area individuals, business and organizations during a 12-week campaign.

Lau also said the division seeks to establish a business expo that will be “one of the top business events in Arkansas.”