Email to members | Tuesday, June 2, 2020 | 2:02 p.m.

Dear Members,

I’d like to take a moment to officially introduce myself as the new executive director of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce and provide an update regarding what the Chamber has accomplished throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and outline the direction the organization will be heading into the future.

There is no doubt that the last few months have been unprecedented. Like our businesses and non-profits in the region, the Kent Chamber has had to pivot quickly amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Since late March, the visitor’s center, where the chamber office is located, has been closed to the public so we have been fulfilling our obligations to our members remotely. In addition, we have been working tirelessly to ensure we continue to communicate with our members and provide the latest information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a brief overview of what we have accomplished.

Private Sector COVID-19 Conference Call

10 conference calls, 316 total callers

Since Friday, March 27, we hosted a weekly conference call, in partnership with Kent County Economic Development, for businesses and non-profits to dial-in to receive the latest update from local agencies regarding their response to the coronavirus outbreak. Secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce was a featured guest during a call.

Business Impact Survey

2 surveys, 207 responses

We partnered with Kent County Economic Development to create and distribute two COVID-19 business impact surveys, one sent in March and another sent in May. Information from responses were aggregated and shared with regional and state agencies to help craft additional business resources and funding. Private business information was not shared.

Pivot Your Business or Non-Profit Conference Call

3 panel discussions, 9 organizations featured, 45 total callers

We hosted three conference calls that featured three businesses and non-profits that quickly pivoted their operation to continue customer and client outreach amidst the pandemic. These business leaders shared valuable insight and tips on how they accomplished it.

Free E-blasts

30 businesses sent 40 free e-blasts

On March 23, the chamber granted members the ability to send free e-blasts to help facilitate the communication of amended business hours, available resources, and updates of events. Thirty businesses took advantage of this free service to send 40 e-blasts to members. With Maryland well into Phase 1 of Governor Hogan’s plan to reopen the state’s economy, we sunset free e-blasts on June 1.

In addition, we have been hard at work refreshing the image of the organization. From our logos to the very font we use on all of our publications, we are committed to strengthening the brand of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce. When one mentions the Chamber or sees our information in print or on the web, we want the organization to be viewed as a comprehensive resource and the leading advocate for business here in Kent County and the region.

Newly Designed Website

https://www.kentchamber.org/

We successfully designed and built a new website in-house. Our new website is a significant improvement over the previous site and presents a much more engaging and dynamic platform for our businesses to communicate with fellow members and the community at large.

Reinvestment in and Launch of New Social Media Platforms

Facebook | LinkedIn | Soundcloud | YouTube

In addition to a new website, we have spent time leveraging social media platforms that we already had a presence on (Facebook), and launched new platforms (LinkedIn, Soundcloud) to enable us to communicate across a breadth of mediums. Universal feedback we have received from members is the organization is effective at communicating important messages to members and the community. Over time, we will enhance this ability by continuously ensuring we are on the same platforms our members are.

Redesigned E-blast

New e-blast headers

Chamber e-blasts are a highly effective means for both the organization and its members to communicate with each other. To enhance the user experience of e-blasts for our members, we redesigned our blasts to allow viewers to immediately differentiate between messages from the chamber, messages for chamber members, and public service announcements.

Weighing in on Public Issues

Publication in Kent County News and Chestertown Spy

You will also find us quoted in the local media more frequently. As a leading advocate for business in the county, we want to communicate the positive impact our businesses and non-profit organizations have on the community we call home.

As we head into the future and face down whatever the new “normal” has to bear, you can count on the chamber to Champion the Success of our Members. As the State continues to reopen the economy in phases, we will begin rolling out new and improved in-person networking and informational events. One of the greatest assets we offer our members is the ability to facilitate deep, long-lasting relationships.

Whereas I never would have thought that I would take the reins of an organization in the middle of a global pandemic, the first 60-days of my tenure have shown me the power of this community. I’ve witnessed truly inspiring moments such as the business community rally around our healthcare workers, community leaders deliver food to seniors, schools make a herculean effort to transition their students to online learning, and business owners share valuable insights and tips on how to leverage state and federal resources with their fellow colleagues. I’m proud to call Kent County home.

On behalf of the board of directors, I want to personally thank you for being an active member of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce and for working tirelessly to improve our community’s quality-of-life.

If you would like to contact me directly, please don’t hesitate to email me sshoge@kentchamber.org.

We are in this together.