(A summer highlight in La Pine is the Rhubarb Festival, now in its 16th year | Photo by Andrea Hine)
In talking with businesses about joining the La Pine Chamber of Commerce, its long-time Executive Director Ann Gawith is persuasive but realistic. “We know the value we bring to the business community, but certainly can’t promise that ‘if you join, then you’ll be rich,” she emphasizes to them.
“What we can claim — given that marketing opportunities in any small town such as ours are marginal — is that businesses are missing a bet if they don’t take advantage of the social and networking advantages the Chamber provides,” she said.
“Our members are all in the same boat and can offer each other support and ideas over and above the information constantly sent out by the Chamber. This ability to communicate directly with others in the Chamber is a tangible value of membership in itself.”
According to Gawith, as is the case with any organization, becoming a member is only the first step. “Some people join the Chamber and then don’t enjoy its many benefits. For example, we’ve had new business owners call us on Wednesday asking if we could stage an official ribbon cutting that Friday. Two days certainly doesn’t give us very much time to promote their introduction to the wider La Pine community and attract potential customers through this event.”
“In addition to relying on last-minute marketing, I’ve observed that businesses aren’t advertising as much as in the past,” she said, “especially if they’re struggling. Yet when times are tough, it’s just as important to get the word out to target audiences — one easy method being the posting of events in the Chamber’s widely read Community Calendar that is linked to the Visit Central Oregon website.”
Additional avenues include the Chamber’s weekly advertising publication, South County Shopper, which is distributed in both print and electronic format, and its regular newsletters (one of which profiles local enterprises and their owners/founders).
The Chamber also hosts monthly breakfasts, where presentations by local companies enhance awareness of their products and services, and offer attendees the opportunity for one-on-one networking — “which is still one of a small business’s most valuable marketing tools,” Gawith said.
“From my vantage point as the Chamber’s executive director, I would describe the current attitude of our business community as one of ‘let’s do what we can’ given external factors such as rising costs (fuel being a prime example) and decreased spending on the part of consumers who have less in their pockets as a result.”
“Summer always beings an optimism to our community with events such as Frontier Days and the La Pine Rodeo — both held over 4th of July weekend — and the annual Rhubarb Festival, now in its 16th year,” Gawith said. “Everyone’s hopeful and aiming to ‘make this summer a good one.’”
