WEDA disbanding; chamber of commerce assembling

By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent

The Wellington Economic Development Association has decided to renovate its leadership and reorganize as a chamber of commerce.

The reason for the change has several components: Town board member, Reggie Kemp, was hired as a paid consultant and spokesperson for WEDA, but recently resigned to avoid conflicts of interest with his town board duties. The town board and WEDA had some disagreements about selecting a liaison to work with a community assessment team due to visit Wellington in October. (See related story on page 22.) And, some business community members would like to see a business organization that makes economic development secondary to the promotion and interaction of existing businesses.

Doug Andersen, president of WEDA's board of directors, said recently, "We're trying to approach a better way to pull people together in this town." He said the historical purpose of WEDA was to draw new business to town and create jobs. In contrast, a chamber of commerce will encourage businesses already in Wellington. "Bringing jobs to town was not inclusive enough," Andersen said.

WEDA was originally set up with the idea of eventually shifting to a chamber-of-commerce-style organization. Andersen and others expressed hope that the new chamber might be able to rise within the current legal infrastructure of WEDA, perhaps with just some bylaw changes. Bill Schneider of Vestige Press, however, at a June 22 meeting for prospective chamber members, indicated that the chamber should incorporate as a completely new entity. Schneider and Wendell Nelson, owner of Chocolate Rose, have been active in researching the requirements of constructing a viable chamber of commerce.

To that end, David May, president of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce and past vice president of the Chamber of Commerce Relations for the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., outlined to Wellington business owners what a chamber might look like locally. The Fort Collins chamber sees itself as having three jobs: business-to-business marketing, a contact point for prospective new businesses wanting to relocate in northern Colorado, and a voice of advocacy for business interests with local government. May urged Wellington businesses to identify and focus on services that would help solve Wellington's most urgent needs.

Business owners present identified networking as a key component. Nelson pointed out that many people attending the meeting didn't know each other even though Wellington is still a small community. May noted that preparing a good web site could also be critical, as most people search out a local chamber of commerce on the Internet. A local chamber also needs to make its needs and presence felt in the deliberations of the town board, he said.

Nelson said WEDA members who have paid dues for 2005 are being asked whether they want to transfer the money in WEDA's current account to the fledgling chamber. Those who don't will be reimbursed a prorated portion of the dues they paid. He also said a steering committee will work on a list of services a new chamber might provide its members, then set dues accordingly. May suggested that a simple fee structure in the beginning might be best.

In a recent letter, Dan Byers, vice president of Centennial Bank of the West, said that he was disappointed about the demise of WEDA, but that the creation of a chamber of commerce was a new opportunity. "It's my hope that this new chamber can continue the good work of WEDA, yet expand its reach into the community and expand opportunities for everyone," he wrote. "I will enjoy the opportunity to be involved in this new group and encourage others to consider doing so as well."

Schneider and Nelson collected contact information from those at the meeting, promised to notify them of future meetings and hoped to enlist their volunteer efforts to make a chamber a viable enterprise. Part of that work might include representing the business community on any focus group organized this summer to provide input to the community assessment team scheduled to visit Wellington in October. May said that most small chambers require a solid base of volunteers.

About 25 businesses attended the initial meeting. Schneider said at least 15 others have expressed interest. He said that was a good start, but commented that Wellington has a potential pool of nearly 200 small businesses. Schneider can be reached for additional information about the new chamber at Vestige Press, 490-2137.