Usually when you hear about rebranding or strategic planning, it's for a corporation or a small business -- but in the Keweenaw the latest to undergo a business makeover is actually the chamber of commerce instead.
The
Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce just announced its new brand and a new community website. The chamber board has reevaluated its services over the past six months in an effort to better serve and support local small businesses. It will focus on support for existing businesses, attraction of new businesses, and development of resources.
"There are a lot of great resources in the community for small business to access help. However, the general consensus from the research we did told us there is a lot of confusion about the purpose of organizations in our area and who does what. Through the strategic planning process, it was obvious the critical role we needed to play," says Karyn Olsson, board secretary.
The chamber plans to act as the starting point for connecting small businesses to other organizations and resources by working cooperatively with other agencies and groups in the area, like the
Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau and the
Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance.
For instance, the chamber handled a lot of tourist inquiries in the past, something that the Keweenaw CVB is designed to do. So, the chamber will direct tourism requests and calls to the CVB from now on.
Similarly, the chamber will support KEDA by referring small business inquiries to them, and collaborating more closely on economic activities and information.
Residents, tourists and businesses can check out the chamber's new website to explore the road map the chamber is following in the future, and become familiar with the new branding and information.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Karyn Olsson, Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce
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