The Mesquite Chamber is open for business, with some bumps along the way this year.  J. Blake Syndergaard, a former Chairman of the Board, along with the Board of Directors, wants the community and the business community to know they are not going anywhere.  “We are open in a new location and a new look for a new year,” said Syndergaard. “The Mesquite Chamber of Commerce is planning for some great new changes to support businesses for years to come.”

The Chamber rolled out their new website yesterday at the luncheon, which will allow Chamber members to interact with their promotions on a whole new level. Other promotional improvements include a new video that will promote Mesquite over the internet as well as through the LVCVA and Facebook.
Syndergaard also wants people to know that although the Chamber has had some discouragement over the last year or so, they are determined to move forward and bring the best of Mesquite out for the world to see. “These things just didn’t happen, they have been a continued progress of events over a number of years,” said Syndergaard. “How they started or who is to blame really doesn’t matter, what matters is what we are doing to fix the problem.  We have had a revolving door for CEO/ Presidents.  We have had our share of resignations from board members and chairman of the board which seems discouraging, the board after the resignation of our CEO/ President this year, decided to look at what needs to be fixed.”
So, the board came up with focusing on what can be controlled and what can’t be. Control over the office itself, was at the top of the list. “We noticed we can control our office and we can be more organized and streamline daily tasks. With two employees, who equal three part-time employees, we needed to help them be more productive.  Cutting down some of the double work, micro-managing from the board of directors or the chairman, the office is becoming more streamlined, touching more members and updating our memberships and hopefully our members will see a difference. Some of these things we have been working on for over a year, some of the streamlining started years ago but just needed the right people in place to fully execute them,” he added.

With the idea of the Chamber of Commerce being about working together with local businesses so that everyone benefits, it seems that the new ‘regime’ of the Chamber is bound to make some highly visible and lucrative improvements. Syndergaard emphasized that there are three keys for businesses in Mesquite that will ultimately improve the local economy: “Rebranding, making clear decisions and understanding your target market will equal success.”

With the Chamber now being located at the Bank of Nevada, 11 W. Pioneer Boulevard, Suite C, in the upstairs offices, and not having to pay rent for that space, the community should see some bold, progressive moves that will help repair and reinvent a greatly-needed organization.

Monday’s board meeting also brought elections of new officers. With Julie Stoltz, the former Treasurer, as Acting CEO, the Chamber will now have Ken Cook as Chairman; Noel Smith of Colonial Property Management as Chairman-Elect; Scott Halvorson with Barney, McKenna & Olmstead as Treasurer; and Brenda Snell, with the Eureka, as Secretary. Snell served as Secretary the past year, and Cook, Smith and Halvorson had also served on the Chamber board as board members.

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Stoltz presented several events and activities the Chamber will participate with this coming year, including this weekend’s events at the art gallery and Mesquite Motor Mania.

The Chamber will be having their own Ribbon Cutting on January 29 from 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by Bank of Nevada.

Stoltz would like to remind the community that the Chamber events are not restricted to Chamber members, and that the community may attend the monthly luncheons and ribbon cuttings as well as other events throughout the year. For more information, call the Chamber at 702-346-2902 or email Kristina Melle at info@mesquite-chamber.com.