BROWNSBURG — The Chamber of Commerce here has new digs for 2013, and Executive Director Brian Rose says he’s invigorated, having the chamber office in the heart of the business community.
The chamber’s new home is at 67 Garner Road, Suite 500. An open house is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 21.
The chamber had previously had offices at Brownsburg Town Hall but as part of the town’s budget process last year, it was determined that the chamber would have to vacate.
“We were approached by a local businessman, Richard Sutton, and he had some space available and he believes in the chamber and wanted to make things happen,” Rose said. “He offered a deal we couldn’t refuse.
“We’re out in the business community. That’s the biggest asset. We are located out and surrounded by businesses, whereas previously we were surrounded by governmental organizations.”
Rose said one thing that he’ll miss is the flow of visitors the chamber office was able to help where they were in town hall, regardless of whether those visitors were there for chamber business. He said there was a lot of opportunity to meet people in the community they otherwise wouldn’t have.
“It was very humbling to see all the business community step up and support their local chamber,” he said about the tough negotiations last year that led to the relocation. “We’ve been around since 1982 and we even had retired members that came out to support what the chamber meant to them. They made a very strong statement to the council and community at large that we are a key component to our community.”
Earlier in the week, Town Manager Grant Kleinhenz unveiled a plan to set aside funds for facade improvements to older buildings in town. Rose said things like that can only help businesses grow.
“You always want the support of the town when you open up any business,” he said. “The business community is excited to see what packages they put together from a facade point of view.”
As far as the new office, Rose said he’s settling in and getting down to business.
“Now that we’ve gotten more settled into our new atmosphere, we can get more focused on the businesses in town,” he said. “We have a good partnership with the Hendricks County Economic Development and we look forward to being there for businesses, not only to advocate for what they need but to get their name out there.”
Rose said he will continue to report quarterly to the town council as to what the chamber is doing in an effort to gain as much town support as possible.
“I’m excited about rolling up the sleeves and getting to work,” he said. “The businesses need (the town’s) support. Everything goes hand in hand and we are really excited.”
For more information on the Brownsburg Chamber of Commerce, visit the website at www.brownsburg.com.
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