THE CHAMBER CORNER: JACKSON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

As the saying goes "The news of my demise are greatly exaggerated."

Well, it seems the news of our Y2K demise were also greatly exaggerated and it seems all systems are functioning the way they are supposed to, I'm sure it was all the extra precautions everybody took. By the way, does anyone want to buy 10 cases of water and five boxes of sardines?

The Chamber of Commerce had a very good year in 1999 and we're looking forward to an even better 2000. We have tried to implement policies and programs that give a definitive service to our members, something tangible they can "hold in their hand." Some of those programs are: free attendance at Chamber sponsored business seminars, discounted links on the Jackson web, free use of the board room, discounts on Chamber merchandise, mailing labels, member lists, weekly fax updates, a monthly newsletter, networking opportunities through our Business After Hours, and a voice in community business affairs. It is very important to us that we provide the best possible return for our member's investment, and we try to do that by having a clear

understanding of what our members want.

Upcoming Chamber events include: A seminar on Small Budget Marketing, Shadow Day, Educator of the Year applications, and analyzing our member survey to determine if we are providing what the members want. We are also continuing to work with the city of Jackson in the development process of the 61 North Industrial site. Our partnership with the city is a valuable tool for both sides and we look forward to our continued cooperative efforts to bring new business and industry to Jackson.

With our increased services, our membership continues to climb and we are currently at 319 members. We have an active membership committee designed not only to recruit new members, but, just as importantly, to ensure we retain our current members. Retention of membership is one of the best ways to judge how our policies and programs are working. As of right now they seem to be working well and we're happy with the results we've achieved this year. But there's a difference between being happy, and being satisfied. We don't intend to ever be satisfied because there is always room for improvement. And we will continue to pursue ways to improve the Jackson Chamber of Commerce