A question on the radio this morning has gotten me on a tear. The conversation was about the 3-Star strategic plan and the question was what is the Chamber going to do to implement it? What is the Chamber going to do? The question should have been this. What can I, as a member of this community, do to help implement this?
Who is the chamber? The director and a board? No, in reality, the Chamber is its members. And it’s those members whom the responsibility of change and action fall on. Those members determine if the chamber is successful or not. The chamber can only act as a clearinghouse, a gatherer of information, a coordinator of events. The chamber is only as good as its members.
I, as a member of this community, have to take responsibility for the implementation of any plan designed by the chamber, the business association, government, or anyone, to make Brownsville and Haywood County a better place.
If we want our town to be pretty, then I have to do my part to make it that way. If we want the local hospital to thrive and provide more services, or more importantly continue to operate, then I have to use the services already provided. If downtown businesses are going to continue to exist, then I have to patronize them.
It’s not what the Chamber is going to do that will determine the success of the 3-Star Strategic Plan of Action. It’s what the community does. It is each of us asking ourselves, “What part can I play to make this happen?”
12 years ago
I agree that if we want our community to improve then we must be the ones to make the improvements. Wasn't it Ghandi who said "Be the change you want to see."?
ReplyDeleteI am an active member of the community, but not a member of the Chamber and I've never really understood what the role/function of the Chamber is and how it relates/interacts with "regular" community members such as myself.
I often have ideas, thoughts, and concerns and constructive criticisms that I'm interested in sharing and helping to address. And one reason I think this BLOG has such potential is as a clearinghouse and discussion forum for others like me.
A related, though tangential, question I have is this: how do we recruit particular service providers to the community? For example, it seems to me that we have lots of beauty salons (and I'm very grateful -- it's great not having to go out-of-town for these services) and plenty of check-cashing places (I have a different opinion about those ...). But we could really use a shoe repair shop and a taxi service. What is the Chamber's role in recruiting businesses such as those? What is my role as a non-chamber member in assisting?
Thanks. I look forward to a continuing conversation.
Dear MLF,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments on the All About Brownsville blogspot. As Sonia stated in her comments, we are the gathering spot for local information and we are the first place newcomers to town, business and industrial prospects come to. We provide them with information about our City and County. In almost all cities Chambers do this. Each Chamber must decide how best to serve their citizens. To me I believe we serve our members and non-members best by protecting the jobs we have and actively seeking new opportunities for the people of Haywood County. We do this by working very closely with TN State ECD office, TVA and West TN Industrial Association. We also daily seek to bring new retail business to Brownsville and Haywood County, Richard Carraway works as our Retail Development Director; his office is located here also. Economic development entails all aspects of life in Haywood County. Just a small list of the things I am involved with would be, beautification of the City and County, Countywide Infrastructure, Education of our workforce and young people, Industrial Parks, retail buildings and one dear to my heart, Quality of Life issues we face everyday. There is so much to talk about and I am sure Sonia doesn't want someone writing a book on her site, but if you would like some information and be able to talk about how you can help, please come see me at 121 West Main Street. Again thank you for your wonderful questions.
Sincerely,
Joe Ing
Executive Director
Brownsville/Haywood County
Chamber of Commerce
I would like to see this conversation continue. Let's talk about those Quality of Life issues.
ReplyDeleteWhat are they and how can we improve/enjoy/brag about them? I know people who have never taken advantage of the beauty the Hatchie Wildlife Refuge has to offer by simply driving through it. And how many local people have actually visited our own museums?
MLF makes a good point. What can the general public do to help attract new businesses to town? Is it a simply matter of having a positive attitude and talking favorably about what we do have? Afterall, how do we know if the stranger standing behind us at the grocery checkout is not a prospective new business owner who is listening intently as we complain to the checkout person about "nothing to do in Brownsville."
Or is there more tangible things we can be doing?
Joe, let's explore those issues. Let's use whatever space it takes for community members to express their opinions and share solutions.
I too am concerned about the quality of life issues in Brownsville. We have some great things going on but we need the support of everyone to make it work.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I would like to comment on and encourage our citizens to support our local hospital. They are very good at what they do and are an asset to the community. If you want to see a community spiral downward let something happen to the local hospital and we will be in serious trouble. We would be another Bells or Alamo, not that there is anything wrong with either but they can't grow. We have the opportunity to recruit industry because we have a hospital and good school system. These are the first questions that are asked when industries are looking at a community to locate to--schools and hospital.
I wish we had more businesses on the square. It is very sad looking right now. I heard some time ago that the square was going to improved with lamp post, brick crossings etc. What happened to that, is it still being planned?
It would be great if we could get the court square looking really good and give it more of a historical feel. Like with period lighting and the brick crosswalks.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about the flowers? They always make our downtown look so good and I know they have been working on this lately. Can more flowers be planted that will come back every year and maybe add some evergreen plants so beds do not look so bare in the winter months? I don't know much about plants, but I think some daylilies would look good around the square in the beds. The greenery would help fill in bare spots and imagine the colors when they all begin to bloom.
Anyway, that's just a thought that I had. Thanks.
The renovation of the downtown area has been talked about for way too long! I'm not sure anyone really believes it's going to actually happen! Everyone needs to encourage City Hall - Webb Banks and Ann Banks to get started - even if it has to be completed in stages (a planned organized event that will not result in re-doing anything)Just do SOMETHING and don't keep waiting on grant money to do the entire project! City of Brownsville has money - let's move forward and make some progress
ReplyDeleteIf you will take a look around the square and as much as a block off the square, you will find really pretty, old light posts - they have a really nice shape and a beautiful base on them! I wonder how old they are? Why can't we take all of these posts down, repaint/renovate them and replace the lights at the top and reuse them around the square? It looks like this would save LOTS of money, reuse original Brownsville Lighting and give some original nostalga. If there is not money to do this, how about asking businesses and individuals to "sponsor" a pole? The city/county shop could sand blast and do the painting so it shouldn't be too expensive and this would get the citizens and businesses involved in the renovation. You could them compile/post a list of sponsors somewhere or place a small name plaque on each pole showing who the sponsors are/were. I would certainly be interested in participating - it would be a shame to not try to use the posts! If they are to be taken down on the square, maybe they could be used at a park (or more than one) or could be sold to citizens or businesses for personal use - PLEASE DON'T TAKE AWAY THE ORIGINAL CHARM JUST TO REPLACE WITH REPRODUCTION AT A MUCH HIGHER EXPENSE.
ReplyDeleteWHAT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAITS OF A COMMUNITY? THE SCHOOLS! I do believe our children (or most of them) are getting a good education - My husband and I both went through the Haywood system and graduated from UTM, lots of my family members attended the schools here and have done very well - both of my parents are retied school teachers who taught school here, our two girls have gone through the Haywood schools - one is a Senior at UTM with a 3+ GPA and the other is a Senior at HHS and has already been accepted to UTM - When out of town people come to consider moving to Brownsville, they look at a lot of aspects but if they have children, sometimes the MOST important aspect is the Schools and School System - When they drive by and ask around town they do not get good impressions of the schools - MANY people move to other towns/counties JUST BECAUSE OF THE PERCEPTION OF THE SCHOOLS! If this is such a vital part of our community, we should take all the time necessary to make sure we hire the very best Superintendent possible to take over George Chapman's position! PLEASE, PLEASE TAKE ACTION! CALL THE BOARD MEMBERS, ATTEND THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS, VOICE YOUR OPINION! ASK THE SCHOOL BOARD TO TAKE THEIR TIME, LET THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS HAVE A SAY IN THE HIRING PROCESS, AND ADVERTISE THE POSITION ADEQUATELY TO GET ALL THE INTERESTED PARTIES TIME TO RESPOND!! WE CAN CERTAINLY OPERATE WITH AN INTERIM FOR A WHILE (WE'VE DONE SO IN THE PAST) HOW MANY BUSINESSES/COMPANIES/CORPORATIONS PUT A TIME LIMIT ON HIRING A TOP EXECUTIVE (OR ANY OTHER POSITION) THAT THEY WILL HIRE SOMEONE REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY APPLICANTS YOU HAVE OR WHAT THEIR QUALIFICATIONS ARE? (our school board says they will hire SOMEBODY by in approx. 1 MONTH!) JUST ASK THAT THEY TAKE THEIR TIME AND MAKE SURE BEFORE JUMPING THE GUN!!
ReplyDeleteOUR SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION OF OUR YOUTH ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO THIS COMMUNITY! LET'S STOP THE EXODUS OF CHILDREN LEAVING OUR SCHOOLS TO ATTEND OUT OF TOWN AND THE FAMILIES WHO ARE MOVING OUT OF TOWN TO BE NEAR THE SCHOOLS THEIR CHILDREN ARE ATTENDING! LET'S CONVINCE PEOPLE CONSIDERING MOVING HERE THAT IT IS A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE AND A GOOD PLACE TO EDUCATE THEIR/OUR CHILDREN!
Let's not forget our city services when bragging about our town also.
ReplyDeleteWe have a police/fire department second to none and our sanitation department is not to be overlooked. They take pride in their work and do a very good job of garbage pickup and limb and trash pickup around the city. Not many cities left that do not require you to haul your garbage cans to the street for pick up.
After the storm a week ago, they have worked very hard and done a bang up job of cleaning up the streets, and should be complimented.
We certainly have to give credit to our mayor and city board also.
Amazing how the city workers come together and restore power and clean up after a storm! When you hear about storms in other places, they talk about how residents are without power for long periods of time - we reall do have one of the prettiest, cleanest towns anywhere! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELP WITH THIS! This is often referred to as PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP!
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