(Taylor’s efforts include rebranding the Chamber’s logo and rebuilding its website | Graphic courtesy of Madras Chamber of Commerce)
It didn’t take long for Debbie Taylor to make her mark. Less than four weeks after starting a membership drive in her job as Executive Director of the Madras-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center, she brought in nearly $10,000 in new membership dues. “I’d like to have every business in the community become a member at some level,” she said, “and believe that my fresh perspective and existing community connections will help take the organization to the next level, and clearly demonstrate the Chamber’s value.”
As internship coordinator for EDCO, Taylor spent the past three years as “liaison to connect high school and college students with local businesses in industries such as agriculture, engineering, manufacturing, tourism, and hospitality.” In that role, “I had to keep a pulse on the businesses in Jefferson County to know which businesses were open to inviting interns, and which businesses were a good fit for which students and their skillsets.”
And in the same vein, “as the Chamber is the hub of local information, I need to keep my ear to the ground to know what’s happening — such as Initiative Brewing acquiring the Jefferson County Public Health building when a new facility was constructed with Mosaic Medical adjacent to the St. Charles campus. Or the new businesses that are filling up downtown, especially 5th Street, such as The Wild Tribe (a women’s and children’s resale clothing store), Urban Home (featuring furniture, home décor, and gifts) and Midtown Coffee Company.
Taylor added that “being informed helps accomplish my goal of taking what the Chamber has already accomplished in the community, and going even further. This is like the next level of what I had done for EDCO.”
A first priority for Taylor was rebuilding the Chamber’s “very antiquated” website and “bringing it into the 21st century, so the flow allows users to navigate information easily and in a visually appealing way,” Examples include click-throughs to each member’s website or Facebook page, and links to local points of interest such as the Warm Springs Museum and the Erikson Aircraft Collection, and recreational options like Lake Billy Chinook and the Willow Canyon trails.
Taylor explained that “another new website feature is a community events calendar (detailed on a spreadsheet) that was partially inspired by the occurrence of two major fundraising events being staged on the same night,” she said. Events are also advertised through social media, large banners along the main thoroughfares of Madras, and weekly mailings of 600 newsletters (which include job postings).
“This year, the Chamber aggressively promoted the Madras Community Wide Yard Sale, resulting in twice as many participants as in 2023,” said Taylor. “One vendor told me afterward that she had her ‘most profitable weekend ever,’ and praised the event as having been ‘very well done.’”
In her efforts to “revitalize the Chamber as the hub of tourism, local events and economic development for Jefferson County.” Taylor readily admits that partnerships are critical. For example, she communicates often with the Madras Downtown Association board to determine “how we can partner for community events. I’ve never been an us-versus-them person. I want to work together.”
This collaboration also includes the City of Madras (including the council, airport, and golf course), and other local entities such as the Jefferson County Library District, Event Complex, and Community Center.
Taylor is aided in these partnering efforts by bringing “enthusiasm, a depth of knowledge, and a range of professional experience to my new role,” describing herself as “an administrative professional who enjoys connecting people” with strengths that include “being a natural collaborator and communicator who is transparent and true to my character.”
“This intriguing and exciting job is a perfect fit for me,” said Taylor, whose priorities are “adding value while working for my Chamber members, our culturally diverse community, and the tourists who come to Jefferson County. As I like to say, ‘the windshield is bigger than the rear-view mirror’ — there is so much more ahead of us.”
She predicts that “the economy is going to grow at a positive rate appropriate for our Jefferson County community. And as this occurs, I look forward to continuing my work with the professionals who I consider friends.”
