Westfield Chamber plans for 2016

By Anna Skinner

With 2016 rolling in, the Westfield Chamber of Commerce is looking over plans to implement throughout the year.

Last year, the Chamber began a new project – the Economic Development Series.

“We are going to continue on what we started last year with the Economic Development Series and continue that this year,” said Julie Sole, executive director.

For 2015, the theme was workforce development and there were four breakfasts and two presentations throughout the year. Sole said that the theme for 2016 is still being constructed, but will be decided soon.

After 43 new members joining the Chamber in 2015, Sole said that the Chamber doesn’t have a set goal for memberships in 2016, but will utilize other assets. One such asset is to allow members to be more involved by presenting at luncheons.

“With our luncheons we want to be utilizing some talent in our memberships and having programs be more interactive, such as panel discussions and presentations that utilize some of our members,” Sole said. “We want to increase our numbers, but we also want to increase our participation.”

Sole refers to the Chamber of Commerce as a gateway into the city of Westfield, referencing businesses and individuals new to the area and how they approach the Chamber for information.

“We are just going to continue to try and get out there and work a little closer with the DWA and the Downtown Merchants Group, assisting them in promoting their activities,” Sole said.

The Chamber also plans on having a presence in groups such as Grand Junction Task Force and participating in those meetings.

Sole said another goal is always continuing to develop the county chamber relationship.

“We will continue to be supportive of our county chamber collaboration and continue to work with Noblesville, OneZone and northern Hamilton County,” Sole said. “We want to collaborate on state business advocacy as well as local networking and local educational issues.”

For more information, visit www.westfield-chamber.org or visit the Chamber’s Facebook page for updates.