Page 63 - 2024 Community Profile

CHAMBER

River Valley Chambers Team Up to Benefit Region

In 2015, a small group of Chamber
of Commerce executives from several
communities in the Arkansas River Valley
recognized they could jointly benefit the entire
region by helping one another promote events,
participate in staff and board training and share
operational best practices. That once small
group has grown to include eleven Chambers
stretching from Sallisaw to Dardanelle, and
now share an ongoing online chat to stay in
communication with one another.
“We started with just Paris, Ozark and
Booneville in 2015. “Soon after, we added
Charleston, then have built the group by
inviting our neighboring Chambers,” said
Tonya Fletcher, Executive Director of the Paris
Area Chamber of Commerce, organizer of
the group, and the 2023 Arkansas Economic
Developers and Chamber Executives Chamber Representatives from area Chambers of Commerce meet in Clarksville.
Executive of the Year. Van Buren Chamber
President and CEO, Julie Murray, presented Photo courtesy of The Chamber.
the award to Fletcher at the group’s annual group,” Fletcher related. “Julie’s experience rotates locations in order to keep travel time
meeting. and insight have been invaluable to the rest of and expense to a minimum, as well as giving
Fletcher said the advantages to assembling us.” each member a feel for the other communities
the group have been numerous. “Sometimes One of the recent moves was to add the represented. “When we met in Van Buren we
we have an issue or problem nobody outside joint board member retreat, which has given got to take a Trolley excursion, and that added
our industry really will understand,” she board members of all of the Chambers the to the fun experience,” Fletcher described.
explained. “It can be as simple as trying to opportunity to network, and provided the As members have gotten to know each
put on a festival and not having enough food resources necessary to bring in top-notch other better, the online chat has become a
vendors lined up.” speakers for the event. great resource for all of them, according to
Current members of the network include “We started with just Van Buren and Paris Fletcher. The trust has even led to instances
Alma, Booneville, Charleston, Clarksville, participating, but it didn’t take long for the where new employees may train for their
Dardanelle, Fort Smith, Ozark, Paris, Roland, others to recognize the benefit of the training, position at a different Chamber, to see how
Sallisaw, and Van Buren Chambers of and what we can do together to build a they operate and take ideas back home.
Commerce. stronger region,” Fletcher continued. “This “We never know what the future will bring,
“Julie Murray and I knew each other when year we had about 65 attendees when we held but we know we can help one another be
she was in Heber Springs, so when she moved it in Clarksville.” better at what we do, and that makes all the
to Van Buren we knew we needed them in the The group meets every other month, and difference for our region,” Fletcher concluded.

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