- April 16, 2024
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Rick Fraser, the new executive director for the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, is focusing on partnerships within the city to help better the community in 2014.
BY EMILY BLACKWOOD | STAFF WRITER
The new executive director for the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce has some big ideas for 2014, and he knows he can’t do them alone.
Rick Fraser said community partnerships are the focus of his new job title, and he will be making an effort to connect with leaders in other organizations across Ormond Beach.
“We’re trying to bring together leadership from the other organizations in Ormond and see how we can partner to make a positive impact,” Fraser said. “There’s a saying that’s not mine but I’ve heard it and it’s ‘cooperate or evaporate.’ In this day and age, you can’t work alone.”
One thing he has already begun doing is making joint visits with Mayor Ed Kelley to businesses.
“As we enter to 2014, I’m going to be looking to the mayor to make some calls on our members to see what issues they’re facing,” he said. “It shows the business community that there is a strong partnership between the chamber and the city.”
He has also started monthly meetings with the city manager to exchange plans and see what issues can be dealt with together.
Some of those issues include stepping up the activities for the development project, Ormond Crossings, and get it off the ground. North U.S. 1 near Interstate 95 will also be getting more attention.
“We refer to it as the Gateway to Ormond Beach,” Fraser said. “People getting off I-95 and onto U.S. 1 — that’s their first impression of the city. There’s some vacant land, rundown buildings and billboards that have rusted out. We’ve identified that we need to do something there.”
Fraser said the unofficial group is currently researching the cost of the project. They are planning to meet sometime soon after the first of the year.
While he’s out working on these projects, Fraser said he will continue to keep in mind the three new initiatives the Chamber has implemented for next year:
• Establish a clear brand for the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce
• Be the focused business voice of the membership
• Be relevant and different.
Though these initiatives were developed before he was executive director, Fraser said he thinks they will work well as guidelines.
“Those three initiatives I think are going to guide me and the staff on how we operate in 2014,” Fraser said. “We don’t always have to do what we’ve always done. We can be different, but whatever we do has to come back to those three initiatives. We want to be the go-to organization in Ormond Beach.”
Due to the economic downturn Ormond Beach has faced in the past, Fraser said it is more important now then ever to give local businesses a helping hand.
“The economy is rebounding and coming back, and businesses that survived the recession are going to need to have people or organizations that are helping them with sustaining their business and growing their business,” Fraser said. “I’m really optimistic about the future of the chamber for 2014.”
Email Emily Blackwood at [email protected].
