The Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce is settling into its new
offices this week while renovations to the old office will offer a
new visitors center scheduled to open August 19.
“Our chamber had not expanded in 100 years,” joked Chamber
President Mo McElroy. “No, but we have been in the same building
for a long time, since the 1930s.”
“Ultimately the chamber’s job is to make an economic difference
to the businesses and we feel like we are taking a big leap to
doing that by having new staff and expanded offices,” McElroy
said.
The new office space is an extension to the h2Hotel and has been
provided to the chamber at no cost.
“These chamber offices were made available through the building
of the h2Hotel and it is remarkable for a chamber and visitors
center to be gifted with, not only a beautiful office building, but
with a historic visitors center by the city,” said McElroy.
The gift of a rent-free space will allow the chamber to put
assets toward promotions, marketing and a state of the art Web
site, McElroy said.
With the new, larger office space also comes the opportunity to
conduct in-house meetings including board meetings, business
committee meetings and become a central meeting place whereas
before the space was too small to host meetings and the location
was constantly changing.
“When people come into Healdsburg they will have a great first
impression,” McElroy said of the thousands of people the chamber
has come by each year.
The upgraded visitors center (in the historic building) will
offer Wi-Fi, a visitor’s kiosk, more space for business brochures
and restrooms.
The expansion is phase one of two that the chamber is working
on. The second phase will be landscaping the outside and creating a
welcoming space for visitors to enjoy.
“We have created many opportunities for people to support the
expansion that are win, win rather than pure donation,” said
McElroy.
Families and businesses can purchase bricks engraved with their
names to be placed in the courtyard around the offices and visitors
center. Money for the brick sales will be go toward the chamber and
their tourism brochure.
“We hope that families that have been here a long time or people
that have been a part of the chamber will want to have their name
engraved,” McElroy said.
The chamber is also encouraging partnerships with businesses in
town asking for investments of $1,000 up to $30,000 over several
years that in-turn will provide the business with multiple
marketing promotions from the chamber.
“We already have one $20,000 partnership with Redwood Moving
Company and they are doing a five year partnership with us,”
McElroy said.
Along with the bricks and the partnerships, the chamber has come
up with one other way for the community to get involved and help
donate money, a Tuscan cruise.
“We are putting on a Tuscan, Mediterranean cruise that is a
fundraiser for the chamber in May of 2012,” McElroy said.
The cruise includes 10 days on the Oceania Marina Cruise Ship,
Sonoma County Wines with dinner each night, all meals and
entertainment and round-trip airfare.
“We are even going to have a celebrity guest, Chef Jacques
Pepin,” McElroy said. “We get to travel in a group and support the
chamber, it is going to be a win-win.”
Sign-ups and deposits for the cruise have already begun and more
information can be found at www.healdsburgchambercruise.com.
For more information on donating to the Healdsburg Chamber of
Commerce or participating in any of the three fundraisers, email
**@he********.com.
Robin Hug can be reached at Ro***@hb*****.com.
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