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| | | (SPECIAL/www.northfulton.com)
Enjoying the kick-off luncheon for the Carribean Dream campaign are participants Mike Santowski Jr., Habersham Bank; Keith Morris, Jefferson State Bank; and John Kieffer, campaign vice chair, Cumming Station LLC. | |
August 26, 2008
www.northfulton.com
CUMMING – Less than 24 hours after it began, the Caribbean Dream campaign of the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce had attained more than 4 percent of its goal.
Campaign chairman Brett Berto said the program is a total resource campaign for the chamber that has been in the planning stages for months.
"We're really trying to achieve a number of different things," he said.
1) "First of all, we are trying to educate the business community about what it is that their chamber does for them."
2) "Second of all, we are trying to get them to join the chamber so that they can be a part of our initiative."
3) "And also last, but certainly not least, we are trying to raise some additional funds for the chamber."
A group of chamber members didn't just sit down and decide it was time for a campaign, he said. A tremendous amount of research first was completed, followed by extensive planning and discussion among the chamber board members to make sure it was something they wanted to do.
Berto has five cochairs, each of whom has one or more team captains. Each team captain has a number of team members.
"And what these teams will go out and do is contact generally people that they know or are acquainted with," he said.
First, those acquaintances will be asked if they are chamber members.
Those team members can benefit by earning money for their success. If they reach a certain level, they get to go on a Caribbean cruise sometime in late winter 2009, Berto said.
The campaign is projected to end in mid to late November.
"We're very aware of the current economic situation for businesses throughout the community. But, another way to look at that is by joining the chamber you have the opportunity to attend various functions that hopefully will enhance your business," Berto said.
Opportunities presented to its members and partners should exceed the expense incurred to join the chamber he said.
"Go to Business After Hours, you make one acquaintance. If you ultimately do some kind of business with that person, very possibly you profited more than you paid out," he said.
Local businesses benefit in other ways as well.
"We have a contract with the county to handle economic development opportunities in the county. And actually we have noticed that the inquiries have picked up over the last few weeks, which is a very good sign," Berto said.
A European trip by the chamber and several of its board members at their own expense, including Berto, probably helped keep one business in Forsyth County.
"You don't want to lose companies. It's hard enough to get them here," Berto said.
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