It's Your Business: Ellettsville Chamber of Commerce fuels growth and collaboration
The Greater Ellettsville Area Chamber of Commerce office sits nestled near the corner in Richland Plaza. Many don’t even know it’s there. But from this small office with one employee, an exemplary board of directors and numerous volunteers, the chamber has a multitude of accomplishments.
The chamber is comprised of members who are eager to connect, collaborate and contribute to the growth of their businesses and the betterment of our community. These members represent a diverse range of industries and expertise. They are united by their shared goal of fostering economic prosperity and creating a vibrant business environment. Through their collective efforts, they bring value to themselves and the entire community, fueling innovation, attracting investment and driving progress.
As a professional organization, the Ellettsville Chamber understands the value of strong relationships and collaboration with government at all levels. Through regular meetings, policymaker events and advocacy campaigns, the chamber provides a platform for businesses to express their opinions, ask questions and influence key decisions. In this way, the chamber acts as a vital conduit, bringing together government leaders and the business community for the benefit of all. Some of our policymaker events have featured Gov. Eric Halcomb, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch; U.S. Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young; state Rep. Bob Heaton; state Sen. Shelli Yoder and Congresswoman Erin Houchin. By actively engaging with local, state and federal government officials, we ensure the needs and concerns of our members are effectively communicated.
The growth in Ellettsville is undeniable. Envision Ellettsville, the initiative to help guide this growth using public input, sprung from a discussion at a town hall meeting in 2019. The Ellettsville Chamber created a subcommittee to identify the next steps and key stakeholders. It was immediately evident that a partnership with Ellettsville Main Street Inc. was critical to the success of the project. With a grant from the Community Foundation of Bloomington Monroe County, Envision Ellettsville took wings. You can learn more at envisionellettsville.org.
The chamber supports our future community leaders through collaborative projects with Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corp. Every spring the Ellettsville Chamber donates scholarships to two outstanding Edgewood High School seniors through Dollars for Scholars. For the past few years, Edgemedia, the media production class made up of seventh and eighth graders at Edgewood Junior High, has created stellar videos for the winners of our annual awards.
Each October, the chamber celebrates the work, leadership, and impact that chamber members have on our community by recognizing an outstanding business, a visionary leader, and an inspirational educator. Nominations are being accepted now from chamber and community members and can be submitted on the chamber’s website at EllettsvilleChamber.org.
Some of our other events for 2023 include our annual golf scramble, Picnic in the Park, monthly power luncheons, candidate forum, holiday open house and a cookie crawl. You can learn more about these events and our members on our website and our Facebook page.
We are excited about the future of Ellettsville and the chamber as we grow in tandem to help make our community a place where businesses and residents thrive.
Jill Thurman is office administrator with the Greater Ellettsville Area Chamber of Commerce.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Ellettsville Chamber of Commerce fuels growth, collaboration
