From the Vice President

A few weeks ago, I attended the Chamber’s annual Shrimp Feast, and by the way, if you missed it, you missed one heck of a party! Anyway, I was watching the crowd of over 200 people, and it occurred to me how lucky I was to live here in the Crofton area. Even though I’ve only been here ten years, I have made so many friends, and I have just about everything I could ever want in a community. I realized that, not only were these people my friends, they included my roofer, my landscape lighting and irrigation guy, my plumber, my lawyer, my printer, my A/C guy, my computer guy, my motorcycle repair people, my body and fender guy, and so many others. I realized that these are the people I deal with on a regular basis. These are people I trust and respect, and as a result, they have become my friends.

A few days later, with the above observations still fresh in my mind, I picked up a copy of the Chamber’s directory and leafed through it. My goodness! We’ve got it all! Restaurants, banks, a hospital, insurance agencies, golf courses, hair salons, child care, gift shops, doctors, dentists, even the fire department and a funeral home – the list goes on and on. At a time in our history when there is a sharp economic downturn, our Chamber – your Chamber – continues to grow and prosper.

I’ve been on the Chamber Board for almost four years. Every week, we receive applications for Chamber membership, and the Board is asked to approve each and every one. I can assure you that approval is not a rubber-stamp process. We carefully consider the merits of each. We consider whether or not the applicant brings something positive to our community. We consider the reputation from your perspective. If we approve the application, you can be assured that we, not as the Board but as fellow Chamber members, like what we see and are willing to do business with that new member.

Once you become a Chamber member, you become part of a family where everyone helps everyone and your success as a business person is the ultimate goal. Your Chamber provides the orientation, the opportunity to network, the opportunity to advertise and highlight your business, and numerous opportunities to have fun. The Shrimp Feast was but one!

So, take a look at your directory. You won’t have to look far to find just about anything you will ever need. Many of our members offer discounts to other members. Take advantage. “Buy Local” and watch our Chamber and community get better and better. We really do have it all.