Chamber LogoGarden City Area Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Accomplishments in 2007

Ambassadors

  • Held over 30 ribbon cuttings and ground breakings
  • Attended monthly Membership Breakfast & Business After Hours
  • Organized and participated in the Newcomer's Social Event
  • Participated in the following community events:
  • 2007 3i Show Garden City
  • Assisted in promoting and selling tickets to the Chamber's 1st Annual Pig Gig
  • Beef Empire Days Parade
  • Finney County Job Fair
  • Hosted and sold tickets for the annual Chamber banquet.
  • Meals on Wheels
  • WKMA Banquet
Beautification Committee
  • Defined guidelines for businesses eligible to receive beautification award.
  • Presented a Beautification Award and recognition of permanent long-term improvements to the building and to the landscaping around the complex to Rental Enterprise..
  • Cooperated with KDOT, the City of Garden City, and Downtown Vision in an effort to improve directional signage around Garden City.
  • Met with the company that sells advertising on the official blue Highway signs. The company officially came to Garden City and talked to local businesses about signage.
  • Interviewed three companies who specialize in "way finding" signs that create a cohesive community look and direct people to different areas of the community.
  • Worked with Downtown Vision, City of Garden City and Kansas Department of Commerce toward funding an assessment of current signage, with the intent to move forward with the creation of a Master Plan for Signage.
  • Helped educate the business community about the effects of storm water runoff and the steps that can be taken to ensure that the water that drains into ditches, ponds, and eventually to the Arkansas River, is clean.
  • Helped educate the business community on ways they can assist local law enforcement with the prevention and clean up of graffiti.
Business Visitation Committee
  • Contacted over 200 Chamber members in 2007.
  • Assisted in connecting training needs of members to resources available in the community for training.
  • Provided valuable feedback to the Chamber board from member visits.
  • Recommended follow up by Chamber staff after conducting some of the surveys and Chamber staff would follow up with member.
  • Recruited several volunteers through visits and explanations about what Chamber committees do.Added six new members to the committee to increase the number of Chamber members visited each year.
Finney County Convention & Tourism Bureau
  • Successfully completed Crystal Apple Banquet meeting all present goals.
Finney County Convention & Tourism Bureau
  • 4,132 gift bags distributed to 79 convention and conference attendees, dignitaries, recruitment possibilities, motor coach travelers and other guest to our community.
  • The Travel Information center has 10 volunteers and 15 TIC and RSVP volunteers assisted CTB staff with gift bags, Kansas Sampler Festival mailing, and delivering of visitor's guides to hotels and local businesses.
  • Staff promoted and assisted in the organization and helped on a number of events to encourage travel to Garden City including the following:
  • 3i Show
  • 3rd Annual Chamber's Wine Tasting Event
  • Appropriations Committee of Kansas
  • Beef Empire Day's Rodeo Breakfast
  • Buffalo Days
  • Central Mountains Plains Section of the Wildlife Society
  • Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament
  • City of Garden City - 4th of July Fireworks
  • Community Mexican Fiesta
  • International Feedlot Cowboy Association Rodeo Finals
  • Kansas Sampler Festival
  • KARL
  • Garden City Community College Ammonia School
  • Garden City Community College Rodeo Team
  • Garden City Kennel Club
  • Garden City Recreation Commission - 14 & Under Baseball Tournament, Women's D State Tournament
  • Garden City Zoobalee
  • Girl Scouts
  • Little Britches Rodeo
  • LULAC
  • Pig Gig
  • South Central Regional Campout
  • Tumbleweed Festival
  • UOM School - Underground Overhead Metering School
  • USD 457
  • YMCA Spring Fling, Spring Invitational Basketball Tournament, Turkey Shootout
  • The Finney County CTB and Chamber staff along with volunteers from the community hosted the Kansas Sampler Festival on May 6 & 7, an event that brought attendance of about 7,200 people from different places of Kansas. 400 volunteered for this event.
  • Staff organized and hosted the 4th Annual Garden City Hot Air Balloon Classic.
  • Staff continues to partner with Wild West Country, the southwest Kansas Tourism alliance, and Wild West Kansas, six communities in the western third of Kansas, to create marketing and tourism opportunities in our community.
  • Staff along with the Garden City Community College continues to cultivate the growth of the Finney County Young Professionals Club.
  • Staff brought in visitors to Garden City by offering bids on conventions, meetings and events.
  • Staff gave presentations to local organizations and clubs about the CTB activities, events and the Kansas Sampler Festival.
  • Staff prepared bids, created name badges, and assisted at registrations for several conferences
  • Staff continues to update the current events guide for Garden City and Holcomb and provide the guide to: local and regional media, community organizations, schools, churches, individuals and posts event information on six web sites.
  • Staff along with the Garden City Chamber of Commerce started, organized and hosted the inaugural Pig Gig, raising $2,428 for the Chamber of Commerce.
Government Affairs Committee
  • Represented the business community on state Legislative issues and hosted four Legislative Coffees, three during the session and one before the 2007 session, with area representatives.
  • Kept in continuous contact with legislators in Topeka on a weekly basis during the legislative session.
  • Tracked legislation throughout the session to monitor what effects proposed legislation would have on Finney County businesses.
Leadership Garden City
  • 45 individuals made the commitment to participate in Every Voice, the skills and capacities based leadership program for 21st Century leaders. These individuals took what they learned and passed it on to other employees, friends, family and civic organizations. Leadership Garden City sponsored a Spring Session, a Summer Session and a Fall Session.
  • Facilitated individualized business training and partnered with GCCC for a Business of Excellence series featuring different aspects of leadership.
  • Sponsored, organized and led a Youth Leadership program in cooperation with League of United Latin American Citizens that included internships with local businesses that might help youth make career choices.
  • Continued our partnership with the Western Kansas Community Foundation where two Leadership endowed funds from the Kansas Health Foundation are held.
  • Garden City had two individuals participate in an extensive third round of specialized 21st Century Leadership training through the Kansas Health Foundation. Both have taken a more active role in facilitating the traditional leadership programming as well as specialized training that Leadership Garden City offers to businesses and groups.
  • Created marketing brochures to help explain the leadership training opportunities available through Leadership Garden City.
  • Offered Advanced Facilitation Training to Every Voice graduates, in cooperation with Sunflower Electric and Leadership Liberal.
  • Revitalized and rejuvenated the leadership board of directors.
  • Reviewed and updated Every Voice curriculum.
  • Continued to build a leadership library.
Multicultural Task Force
  • Invite multicultural participation in Chamber committees/activities and reciprocate in others' cultural and business events.
  • Continue the sub-committee for the bilingual business classes.
  • Plan and organize Multicultural Networking Events giving businesses, members and non-members, an opportunity to promote their business and network among each other.
Other Accomplishments:
  • Answered 21,792 calls
  • Filled 3,130 requests for information
  • The Chamber Internet web site had 2,438,657 hits.
  • Referred Chamber members in most business categories 1,882 times.
  • The Chamber staff participated in various committees and organizations in the community.
  • Sponsored the Award of Merit recognition program for the 27th year.
  • The Chamber gift certificate program realized over $286,000 in sales for 2007, keeping that money local and invested in Finney County chamber member businesses.
  • Provided blue prints to 32 construction projects that over 28 chamber members used to develop bid proposals.
  • Co-sponsored several seminars and trainings with Garden City Community College and other companies involved in continuing education training.
  • Hosted public discussion about issues surrounding health care with the Kansas Chamber.
  • Organized and implemented two Finney County Job Fairs in cooperation with FCEDC, GCCC, Kansas Department of Commerce, giving employers access to over 600 prospects at the events
  • Organized and promoted a nationwide web-based Job link for all Finney County employers with FCEDC and other community partners.
  • Provided housing and rental information to hundreds of newcomers needing a place to live.
  • Held 12 monthly membership breakfasts, giving chamber members an opportunity to network with other members and learn more about the chamber and the community.
  • Held a monthly Business After Hours at various locations, giving chamber members an opportunity to network with other members and more about them.
  • Held the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament which included over 80 participants.
  • Hosted the 3rd Annual Wine Tasting Event with over 200 people in attendance.
  • Published the 2007 Chamber and Community Profile which was distributed to all Chamber members, provided for all 800 hotel rooms in Finney County, inserted in all relocation packets and placed through out the community in professional and organization offices.
  • Continuous media exposure on a regular basis with Western Kansas Broadcast Center radio stations: KSSA, KSKL, KBUF and Q97; as well as KIUL Radio / Steckline Communications Inc., and the local Newspaper Garden City Telegram. Also, continued exposure on television stations: KBSD, KAKE, KSNG and other radio stations such as NRG Media / Magic 95.

©2007 Hubris Communications