Randolph Chamber of Commerce
Wants To Do More for Business
By M. D. Drysdale

The Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce should spend less of its energy sponsoring events and more energy promoting business in Randolph.

That was the conclusion of the Chamber board of directors following a "New Directions" re-evaluation led by President Joe Boyd with the help of the organization’s interim director, Judy Moore.

Now that there is a new blueprint for what the Chamber should do, it has begun to advertise for a permanent executive director, Boyd said.

Randolph is the smallest town in Vermont to have a Chamber with a full-time director.

Boyd this week had praise for the impact that Moore has made in a few months in creating a feedback system for members. They were posed various questions about Chamber functions, and asked to identify the most important.

The answers to that "New Directions Survey" were supplemented by conversations with members, Boyd said. They showed a clear preference that the Chamber should become "a supportive body endorsing business projects," according to a letter sent out to members.

The community, Boyd believes is "tired of the anti-business stance" sometimes encountered. The Chamber needs to be "more of a voice, a presence" for business, he said.

In the past, the president noted, the Chamber "has become sort of an events committee—and we want to change that."

Not that the Chamber wants to get rid of the events, he said quickly. Such events as the July 4 parade, Casino Night, the Golf Classic, and the new Bowling Tournament are good for the community, and also raise essential money for the Chamber.

However, the job description for the executive director is being rewritten to "emphasize advocacy in support of business." This would leave some of the events to be run perhaps by an events coordinator, whose pay might come from the profits of the events.

The new direction for the Chamber of Commerce will cost more, Boyd admitted, especially if an events coordinator is hired. The Chamber’s current budget of about $100,000 a year will need to be pumped up, he said. The Chamber also employs an assistant, Susan LaFlamme.

But Boyd is optimistic that businesses will be willing to pay a little more if they see the organization is working hard for their interests.

The new direction will also ask more effort and involvement from the members—and more new members, the Chamber letter said.

"We hope this new focus will attract new members on the basis that their dues are justified by an improved local business climate and more tangible results from the Chamber’s endeavors."