Message from the Chair: Karen Grothouse
Steve Jobs once said “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” I am so excited to have the opportunity to be the Chair of the Lima Allen County Chamber at this time. Like Steve Jobs quote states, we at the chamber are a part of the GLR team that gets great things done in our region. By working together, we will be able to enhance the chamber membership. Our chamber Vision Statement is to be the leader of collaborative efforts to advocate a community vision, to promote business retention, growth and development, and to be a catalyst for higher education to meet the workforce development needs of the Lima and Allen County employers. While GLR is working on bringing business to our region, we the chamber, are working to serve, represent and enhance businesses growth and success. That is our mission statement. We will be doing this in a variety of ways this year.
These are just a few examples of our chamber goals and objectives:
We will help grow the workforce through the young professionals and our Engage Lima team. Our YP membership continues to increase. They are a very active group with many different projects. Some of those include Love Lima events, professional development luncheons, HYPE events and monthly mentor sessions. Our young professionals love Lima, but more importantly we love them!!!
Engage Lima is designed to connect new professionals with community ambassadors to help get them engaged with the faces and places of our region. This group holds bi-monthly meetings for new employees and their partners.
While it is important to bring new people to our region, it is also important to retain the businesses that are currently located here. Our Chamber will offer events through the Legislative and Membership committee. Our Legislative Committee has been working hard to advocate for our members. This group will hold legislative receptions, debates and/or forums to facilitate communication between business and elected officials. They will disseminate legislative information to our members and GLR partners. Our Membership Committee communicates with our members and encourages them to be active in one or more of our many programs. Small businesses make up the majority of our chamber membership. Our Small Business Committee assists small businesses in the region to develop and prosper though educational opportunities and focus groups. Small businesses may take advantage of our workshops, the Small Business Development Center, the Co-working Center, and the Potts Entrepreneur Center to name a few. Allen Lima Leadership or ALL helps to develop adult and youth leaders in our community. They will bridge large and small businesses and educate the class on leadership models.
As previously stated as the 3rd strategic goal of GLR, by working together we are striving to make Lima Allen County and GLR to be the most livable community in the Midwest. Our marketing team will promote the quality and livability of life by marketing the assets of our community. A vibrant environment where health safety and overall wellness are the priority and where the region’s shared values produce the ideal place to visit, live, learn, work, worship and play are the goals of Activate Allen County.
As you can see Great things are happening in Lima Allen County as well as the Greater Lima Region. I am proud to be a part of the team that is helping great things continue to happen!
