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Member Feedback
The Chamber enthusiastically accepts feedback about the
office move. Please send your comments to
lcrawford@downersgrove.org.
Hi Laura...
My first reaction is "what are
you doing"?
You will be leaving the downtown
area where you always have the pulse of downtown Downers Grove. As of now, all
the downtown business have easy access to you. The travel time to the new
location will add about 10-15 minutes to most members south of the tracks.
I do not question the location
as to an up-grade to the now Chamber office as my dentist Dr.Todd Martin is
located in the same complex. Yes it is very impressive. I just hope that we
don't lose contact with the local flavor of the Chamber. You will no longer get
walk-in traffic, however I do not know what you presently get.
I guess my question is whether
you will lose the close family ties to the small businesses that you now have. I
for one, have always enjoyed the closeness of the Chamber office. My question is
will it be the same feeling.
I know that this is a done deal,
however was this ever asked of the general membership what they thought?
This is not a complaint it is
just my personal feelings as you asked for feedback.
Dan Konz
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Hi Dan,
You’re feedback is
much appreciated and actually touches on my biggest concern. The Board however,
gently reminded me to deal with the facts and not my personal sentimental
feelings. Their three main goals were: 1) affordability; 2) easily accessible
for the membership and 3) one that would maximize our member’s businesses.
After looking at
several downtown locations (none of which were even close to affordable), we
were fortunate to come across Hamilton Partners who realized we were a
not-for-profit and our members would provide value to the building. I find it
interesting that no downtown landlord recognized the same value. We’re actually
SAVING money by moving.
On the second note,
I was surprised when we ran reports that indicated 80+% of our members are on
Ogden Avenue or north of it. I intend to continue to participate on the Board
of the Downtown Management and hold meetings in downtown because I feel so
strongly about downtown being the heartbeat of Downers Grove; however, it’s not
the heartbeat of our membership. This was a bit hard for me to swallow, but it
is our reality. It should also be noted that we get little to none foot
traffic.
Regarding the
Board’s third goal – I think they aced it with this location. It will not only
bring them in touch with businesses they would not ordinarily come across, but
vice versa.
You pose excellent
questions and concerns, the most viable one being, “whether
you will lose the close family ties to the small businesses that you now have.”
My answer: our entire membership is predominately small businesses; this is
indicative of the county, state and country – small business is not only the
bread and butter of our country, but of our chamber as well. When I come to
work, my intention is to serve businesses – large and small – because that’s who
we are! This move may take some of those businesses a little bit out of
their comfort zone, but they need to know that everyday, we’re striving to do
the best we can for them – for marketing their businesses; advocacy,
professional development and networking opportunities. We hope to continue to
serve all of our membership, just as we have from the downtown office.
Laura Crawford
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