THE CHAMBER CORNER: CHAMBER'S JOB IS TO GET THINGS DONE

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce prides itself on our ability to not just do things, but on our ability to get things done. Anyone can do stuff, we strive to make things happen. A lot of what the Chamber of Commerce does is behind the scenes, things that most people think just occur naturally.

Take the Christmas lights around town, the Chamber of Commerce provided those decorations, as well as new wiring and lights for this years decorations. The Chamber also provides new lights for the Gazebo at the County Courthouse on a yearly basis. We are also the place to register for almost any event within the community such as the Christmas Parade, the Fourth of July celebration (which sounds very warm about now), Homecomers, and the talent and beauty contests that happen throughout the year. As with everything we do though, our membership and the city play a vital role.

The Jackson Web is another project of the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce and the city of Jackson sponsor the web site and its contents. We recently upgraded our server so we could provide a virtual calender of events on the web site. With this upgrade we were able to allow users to obtain a password and list their own events on the site.

This saves us time from entering the events ourselves (actually faculty and staff because they did all the work). We have also added job postings, industrial development site information, and added a tourism site. We are not only in the business of promoting our local businesses, but of also promoting the community of Jackson, which isn't difficult.

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce has recently started a Member-to-Member discount program designed to promote the use of Chamber members within the membership. We are also instituting an Adopt-a-School program where Chamber members can adopt one of the schools withing the district and, in return, the school adopts that business. Whether we like it or not someday, our children are going to rule the world. We need to look at our school system as the "minor leagues" of the business world and make appropriate plans to develop those skills, knowledge, and training they will need.

All in all, the Chamber of Commerce has many partners, and our biggest ally is the mayor and City Council. We pride ourselves on recognizing that our members are our customers, and the members of the community are our customers as well. We will continue to provide the necessary leadership in community development and community promotions as Jackson grows.