Published: September 25, 2008 10:46 am            

Signing off as chamber board chairman

This will be my last column as chairman of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce Executive Board. It has been a wonderful experience for me. You have been gracious and generous in your support and encouragement. I am so very grateful for the privilege of serving our community in this role. It is an experience that I will long cherish.

What a wonderful community we have! Yes, we have challenges, but there seems to me to be a new sense of energy and urgency for addressing them.

We seem to be on the launching pad for a new round of achievement. I am very happy to know that Tom Bundros (Dalton Utilities) will be piloting us as the new chamber chairman. He is the right person at the right time for chamber leadership. He has the passion, insight and talent to “take us to the next level.” You can just sense a surge and synergy that will propel us to new heights.

As an organization, the chamber is currently enjoying a steady membership — which is now more than 900 — and our current member retention rate is a remarkable 87 percent. We’ve accomplished much this year, and our staff has done a tremendous job of adding on to our leadership programs and member services. New this year in both areas was an Emerging Leaders Class and a new Morning Member Mixer. These efforts are in addition to the current programs we offer and a large communication effort.

During the year, this community has been host to numerous visitors to Greater Dalton who were participants in special events like Leadership Georgia. We were able to showcase our Dalton community in a very positive light. I’ve received so much positive feedback about our community and the people who live and serve here.

You have an excellent chamber board, dedicated volunteers and a superior staff. Each person is dedicated to excellence not only in the business community but the community in general. We owe them a significant debt of gratitude. We can express our thanks by our renewed commitment to this wonderful organization. Won’t you join me in pledging your support for the continued work of our chamber? The chamber is the premier business organization in Greater Dalton, and we are a stronger community because of it. Thanks for the privilege of serving you.



Bill Journdain is the outgoing chairman of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce executive board.

        

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