After years on the waiting list, the Hawley-Lake Wallenpaupack Chamber of Commerce finally has its new digs, and a new executive director to go with them.
The new “lakeside” level offices of the Chamber and Senator Lisa Baker were officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony Sunday, November 15, but not much was made of the Chamber’s administrative change.
Taking time away from her busy schedule to sit down with The News Eagle, the Chamber’s new Director, Debbie Gillette explained that part of the reason for not making a lot of noise about her new position was that the Chamber staff was simply too busy with preparations for the grand opening of their new offices.
“We’ve all been so busy moving furniture and boxes, preparing for the ribbon cutting and keeping up with ongoing projects, we haven’t had a chance to take a breath,” she said.
Despite the lack of pomp and circumstance surrounding Gillette’s new post, she says she’s excited about the opportunities it presents, not only for her, but for the local business community as well.
Member opportunities
“We’ve been working hard on putting together a member to member benefits package where members would give discounts for other members who use their businesses. We’re also putting together a great new member advertising package that offers dollar for dollar matching media discounts for new businesses. All the local radio stations, newspapers and magazines are participating in that program.
“I also want to get out and go door to door to the local businesses to meet and get to know them. I want to explain to business owners what we do and how we can help them.” Gillette continued, “Whether it’s a new business or an existing business that just never joined the Chamber, there are lots of ways we can help small local businesses in these economic times, and I’m excited to start showing them how.”
A mother of two Western Wayne students, Gillette, her husband Bill and their boys live in Waymart, where before her time as a Chamber fixture, she once owned a beauty salon. “I realize I’m in Buckhorn Country here,” she jokes, “But I’m an avid Wildcat mom.”
Gillette started working for the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce as a reservationist for the Stourbridge rail line over five years ago. During those years, she says she had her hands on just about every aspect of Chamber operations, from basic organization to grant writing, web design, and filling in for every staff member at some point, including the Director.
“I’m confident I have the skills to do the job,” Gillette says, “And I’m excited to promote this region’s unique appeal. This area is so untouched. We don’t even realize what we have right in our own backyards, and I want to point that out to people. This lake (gesturing out the window of her office to Lake Wallenpaupack glistening in the morning sun) brings in a lot of tourism money, and there’s a lot of room for local businesses to improve their share of it.”
Natural gas possibilities
The big lake is not Gillette’s only focus in promoting area business. She says she’s also keenly aware of the possibilities Marcellus Shale gas exploration could bring to the area in the future. “How we handle this now will dictate how things are for years to come,” she says, pointing out the need to educate businesses on how they can serve the influx of gas workers, from supermarkets’ need to expand ethnic offerings to how other businesses can position themselves to serve those new customers.
While confident in her ability to administer Chamber operations, Gillette is modest about the contribution she brings to the table. “Maureen Bunting has been a huge asset to the Chamber for the last 19 years. She knows all the businesses around the lake and the people that run them. She’s very knowledgeable, and I expect she’ll help a lot while I’m getting settled. She has always been a huge part of the Chamber. As far as I’m concerned, she is the Chamber.”
Gillette also points out the importance of the Board in Chamber operations above her own. “Without a Board that understands local business and its needs, nothing the Chamber does would be possible. Having been a small business owner myself, I think I can offer some help through the unique situations other small business owners find themselves in, but without a Board that can do that, I couldn’t do anything in this position.”
Finish furnishing
Among the top items on Gillette’s new agenda is finding grants to finish outfitting the new offices technologically, including large flat panel plasma TVs for the conference room that will soon be open to the public for presentations and meetings. “We also need a laptop and some software for some of our operations,” she said. “So if anyone out there has an old, working laptop to donate, it would be appreciated.”
Gillette says there’s not much room for improvement in the way the Chamber works, as far as she can tell, but she also hopes to raise grant funding for trips to tourism expos and other gatherings that might give her a chance to attract new visitors to the area, something that she says none of the other Chamber chapters are doing, as far as she knows.
To contact the Hawley-Lake Chamber of Commerce about any of their projects, go to their website at www.hawleywallenpaupackcc.com, e-mail them at hlwchmbr@ptd.net, or give them a call at (570)226-3191.