Chamber
promoting new payment plan
Walking
tour updates local merchants
by Brian DiTullio
CAREFREE
– Ian Ellison is serious about promoting business in downtown
Carefree.
Ellison,
director of the Cave Creek/Carefree Chamber of Commerce,
put on a good pair of walking shoes last Friday to go
door‑to‑door along Easy Street and the neighboring
businesses to inform them of a new fee program and update
them on what’s new with the chamber.
“We’re
stopping everywhere,” said Ellison. “Whether they’re members
or not, they need to know what’s going on.”
Followed
by Paris Toon, the architect behind the chamber’s new
Web site, Ellison passed out the latest chamber newsletter
along with a brochure and fee schedule.
The
new “installment plan” the chamber is offering allows
members to pay their annual dues in monthly, quarterly,
or in two installments.
The
four options are for businesses who employ less than 35
people. Businesses with more than 35 employees, or nonprofits,
may pay in two installments.
Ellison
and Toon talked up the chamber’s new Web site, pointing
out members in good standing will be getting a free Web
page once the new site is activated.
Ellison
said the site is almost done and should be up and running
very soon.
The
chamber is also working on putting together a resource
center for the chamber offices so visitors can have one
place to look to find the type of stores they are seeking.
Ellison took business cards as he went along to help get
the resource center started.
With
summer imminent, Ellison told business owners his research
shows the Valley is getting more visitor‑oriented
and he plans on taking advantage of that situation.
“We’ll
be doing a major program in the next six months to promote
small businesses,” he said, but the details are still
forthcoming.
Ellison
spoke with Margaret Romero, part owner of Storyteller
Indian Store, about creating a new chamber magazine as
the organization moves forward. Romero said she also has
a business in Silverton, Colo., and spoke with Ellison
about trading ideas to make a higher quality magazine.
Ellison
wasn’t the only one doing the talking, though. Two other
chamber ambassadors, Gary Kaylor of Storage Solutions
and Larry Wilson of Arizona Financial/Met Life also helped
out, taking different routes to visit as many businesses
as possible.
The
three men had one message, though: Get the word out to
visitors and residents about the kinds of businesses and
services available in downtown Carefree.
“We’ve
got to find some kind of promotion to help you guys,”
said Ellison to George Mowry at
Amano, a collectible folk art gallery specializing in
Southwest style.
“Anything
that’ll bring people down here (in the summer) would be
great,” replied Mowry.
