Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Committees, Task Forces, & Partnerships

Committees

Ambassadors/Member Services

This committee acts as the goodwill arm of the Chamber and makes personal contact with Chamber members, asking for their opinions about Chamber programs and current business trends.

Goals of this committee are:

  • Assist with implementation of the Chamber Banquet.
  • Assist with the Chamber Golf Tournament.
  • Attend and assist monthly Membership Breakfasts.
  • Attend Business After Hour events.
  • Develop Ambassadors guidelines.
  • Participate in the Meals on Wheels program.
  • Promote the Chamber and all its activities.
  • Represent the Chamber at ribbon cuttings, ground breaking ceremonies and other public functions.
  • Strive to visit every active member within 24 months.
  • Encourage members to attend Chamber activities.
  • Solicit suggestions for improvement for business in general, for their business in particular, and for the quality of life in the Finney County area.

C.A.R.E. Committee "Crystal Apple"
(Community Awareness and Recognition in Education)

This committee organizes and coordinates the recognition of six outstanding teachers in Finney County for their efforts in preparing children for the workplace.

Goals of this committee are:

  • Secure financial support for the program through area businesses and organizations.
  • Update and distribute the Crystal Apple Teacher Recognition nomination form to Finney County residents.
  • Organize and monitor the selection process for the Crystal Apple Teachers including application screening, personal interviews and classroom observations.
  • Organize the Crystal Apple Teacher Recognition Awards Banquet.

Government Affairs

The Garden City Area Chamber is the voice of Business for the business community! We work to promote and foster a governmental policy and program that will stimulate a competitive pro-business climate for our city and state.

The Chamber provides a way to channel the collective voice of the Garden City area business community into a powerful force in the legislative and regulatory process. We believe that our members are the true business experts and together we know we can make a difference.

The Chamber works to build solid coalitions to achieve our goals utilizing a number of unique partnerships with area organizations with a nonpartisan approach to business issues.

Government is one of the biggest influences on business, and a positive business climate can be the difference between profit and loss, success and failure. Business pays attention to government, but too often not enough given the impact it has on the bottom line

The role of the Government Affairs Committee of the Chamber is to bring focus to those issues that can have a positive influence on business, and to those issues that can be costly and unfriendly to business.

The Government Affairs Committee of the Chamber is the communication program between business and government that identifies priorities of business as well as quality-of-life issues. The division provides education and advocacy on the priorities of the membership to the proper government body.

We're committed to work closely and build ongoing relationships with our public officials at all levels of government including local, state and federal and to advocate the business viewpoint by giving input on key business issues dealing with economic development.

Our legislative priorities for 2013 include: Economic Development, Business Regulation, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Immigration, Regionalism, Taxation, Transportation and Workforce.

It will be the task of the committee to write a 2013 Legislative Agenda based upon the needs of the Garden City Area business community. This agenda to be approved by the Chamber board of Directors and to be supported locally, regionally and nationally.

Goals of this committee are:

  • Research issues that affect the local business community and provide information through e-mail or list serve technology to inform members about those issues.
  • Communicate with local business people and acquire input on issues that are most important to local business owners.
  • Provide education and resources to business people for the purpose of encouraging well-informed participation at the local, state, federal levels of the legislative process.
  • Monitor issues and member input for the purpose of developing positions on important issues for the purpose of encouraging positive actions from elected officials.
  • Host Legislative Coffees and other events that give business people opportunities to interact with area legislators from all levels of government.
  • Meet with legislators in Topeka and Washington to discuss the need for business friendly legislation and to discuss the effects of specific bills that are presented at the state and federal levels.
  • Adoption and support of an annual legislative agenda.

Merchants and Business Alliance

The Merchants and Business Alliance (MBA) strives to support, education and information to small businesses in the Garden City area in an attempt to positively impact their bottom line. Through resources available to the Chamber, the MBA will hear timely information on issues of importance to the retail and commercial business community. The committee will promote participation at seminars and will seek and embrace participation with the MBA of other cultures and minority groups who own and/or operate small businesses.

Goals of this committee are:

  • Develop one-hour informational meetings for small business owners and retailers to attend with topics that address specific challenges of the small business community. Monthly topics of concern brought to the attendees may include how to write an effective business plan or marketing plan, the latest tax law changes affecting small business owners and managers, workers compensation rules and regulations, etc.
  • Coordinate and direct with the help of Chamber staff topics small business owners and/or operators need to better run their small business in a more profitable method.

Regionalism with Southwest Kansas Chambers of Commerce Committee

This committee will monitor the successes and the direction of the alliance between the six full-time, staffed Chambers of Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce, Dodge City Area Chamber of Commerce, Grant County Chamber of Commerce, Liberal Chamber of Commerce, Hugoton Chamber of Commerce, and the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the alliance of the Chambers shall continue to be to combine the strengths of the local Chambers of Commerce in Southwest Kansas to provide a positive impact on growth and development of Southwest Kansas by addressing regional issues, legislative concerns and internal issues within individual Chambers while maintaining the individuality of the local Chambers of Commerce. The entity is known as the Southwest Kansas Chambers of Commerce.

Goals of this committee are:

  • Monitor the successes of the Southwest Kansas Chambers of Commerce from a Finney County perspective in addition to a Southwest Kansas perspective.
  • Represent the best interests of the Finney County business community and to represent the best interests of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce.

Recruiting and Retaining Talent and Leadership

Recruiting and Retaining Talent and Leadership began in 2009 as a task force to develop a Chamber and business response to recruiting and retaining top quality workers to the area. The Chamber's response fits into a larger overall recruiting and retaining campaign with other public entities involved with the same task in order to formulate a community-wide plan.

Goals of this committee are:

  • Develop a Finney County job inventory listing service and also a data base of former Garden City high school and community college students to connect the two groups together
  • Consider taking the program regionally to possibly include Lakin, Deerfield and Scott City.
  • Develop strategies for success to continue the program in 2013 and beyond.
  • Continue to work with and communicate with other public entities involved with the same task in order to formulate a community-wide plan on recruiting and retaining business leadership and talent with an emphasis on youth.
  • Seek business leaders and other volunteers to carry out in 2013 and beyond the Chamber's role as a part of the overall community-wide plan.

Finney County Young Professionals

See more information on the FCYP webpage.

Established in 2006, the mission of Finney County Young Professionals is to connect ambitious young professionals in an environment that fosters diversity and integrity through professional, civic and social networking and development.

Goals of Finney County Young Professionals are:

  • Cultivate young professionals through leadership, education and community involvement,
  • Connect ambitious young professionals in an environment that fosters professional communication and social interaction
  • Enhance the professional relationships of the skilled work force in Finney County and to -Serve the county and community by promoting service and involvement.

Leadership Garden City

Leadership Garden City was started in 1989 to educate potential community leaders about their community and its challenges, and to provide leadership skills training for people interested in getting more involved in the community. It has evolved into several levels of leadership and facilitation training, focusing on 21st Century Leadership skills and capacities and now has it's own Board, goals, and finances.

The Chamber is in a strategic alliance with the Leadership Board of Directors. This program is directly related to the improvement of the Garden City & Finney County workforce. The importance of identifying and fostering emerging leaders in all generations and demographics is suppoerted by both Boards. Leadership Garden City gives participants the skills & capacity to lead a community, organization, or a business.

Goals of Leadership Garden City are:

  • Serve as a leadership source providing resources and training to the community.
  • Offer the "Every Voice" class at least one time throughout the year.
  • Recruit a broader scope of participants from the community.
  • Continue to market programs in order to make our community leader-full.
  • Offer advanced facilitation training on a periodic basis.
  • Talk to clubs, organizations and social service agencies about the kind of leadership communities will need to be successful in the future.
  • Give participants a statewide perspective by attending sessions at the Kansas Leadership Center

TASK FORCES

Your Chamber of Commerce will continue to utilize Task Forces throughout the year if and when they become needed.

Public Entity is a meeting of the CEO's of the Chamber, the Cities of Garden City and Holcomb, Finney County, Finney County Economic Development Corporation, Garden City Downtown Vision, Garden City Community College and the School Districts of Garden City and Holcomb. These administrators/CEOs will continue to meet to discuss current issues in their respective organizations so as to avoid duplication of efforts, to communicate ideas and valuable information, seek support and utilize common resources when available.