Newtown’s recently installed Chamber of Commerce President William "Scott" Anders appears to understand that in a small town, engaging with the entire community is as vital to his organization’s success as serving and increasing business among Chamber members.

Mr Anders is putting that community engagement concept into practice with the first major project the Chamber has taken of for 2019 — the production of a Need Help brochure he is hoping “will be posted on every kitchen fridge in town” once it is circulated in the coming weeks.

The 5½- by 8½-inch folded publication is intended to be a quick reference guide to resources for community members in need.

“If someone approached me and asked where they could get help for a family member in trouble, I wouldn’t know where to refer them,” Mr Anders told The Newtown Bee during a recent visit. “So we compiled a list of the top trusted resources in town and put all that information is one, easy-to-read and -keep brochure.”

He said most of the agencies listed offer 24/7 response or availability to residents looking for help from organizations including Newtown Youth & Family Services, the Center for Support and Wellness, The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, and Newtown Parent Connection.

Residents could also find information to reach United Way’s 211 infoline, national suicide and domestic violence hotlines, AA and NA, The Resiliency Center of Newtown, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Center for Family Justice, and Newtown’s free public health clinic, Kevin’s Community Center.

The chamber is completing the work of getting sponsors for its initial printing, which Mr Anders said will be sent by direct mail to around 10,000 Newtown residential addresses.

“We hope this can be the first resource people can easily go to if needed,” he said.

To help the Chamber create new business relationships, along with retaining and improving services for current members, Mr Anders said he is also asking those members serving on the chamber board to step-up their engagement as well.

“I’m asking every board member to get more involved in facilitating business-to-business relationships among our members and Newtown businesses,” Mr Anders said. “We need to be adding value to every one of our members, and that means helping them make more money and grow their base of customers and clients.”

He said it is an important role for the chamber to give back to members in terms of networking events, professional development, and educational opportunities.

“But the primary goal should be helping every local business make more money,” Mr Anders said. “Generating more customers through the door, generating client referrals, creating ways for businesses to learn to help themselves be more successful — that’s a core mission I can get passionate about.”

Increasing Networking

Mr Anders also sees a need for the local chamber to engage more with like-minded agencies and organizations serving the town and region.

“Our Banks, SCORE, and the Economic Development Commission are all teed up, but we need to get everybody talking together about how to help,” the chamber leader said.

To that end, Mr Anders is looking to develop a series of regular round table gatherings focusing on various specialties that can be logically grouped together under the broader chamber umbrella.

“Most business owners are in a foxhole fighting to survive,” he said. But Mr Anders believes that getting them out of the shop for an hour or two a month to brainstorm with peers or to get market-centric information or training will benefit everyone.

“Everybody out there is buried in their electronic devices, but it’s causing them to lose touch with one of the biggest drivers of business success, face-to-face interaction — talking to people or peers.

“I’d like to work matching board members to lead small specialty groups, sort of like little study groups, representing like-minded businesses,” he added.

Speaking of IT, the new chamber president is looking forward to the launch of a new website as well.

“This will be a one-stop location for all members to visit to learn about supplemental chamber services,” he said.

Mr Anders said as he begins to facilitate new and renewed relationships with companies and agencies around Newtown, he is hoping to “create a culture where every new business that opens joins the chamber.”

Retain And Grow

That success is already evident. While a handful of member businesses have closed in the last year, a few sadly because their owners or principals passed away, the chamber has amassed 36 new members in 2018.

By educating former members about the chamber’s new energy and goals, Mr Anders is hoping to attract more than a few of them back into the fold.

Mr Anders is also interested in evening out the number of chamber events to maximize effectiveness and member convenience.

“When I joined the chamber, I felt we were too event-focused and not enough member-focused,” he said. So in the future, he is planning to have the group host one breakfast event and one after work or weekend event per month.

“I want to standardize more of what we do in the line of activities,” he said.

Mr Anders has also taken over chamber leadership at a point where a five to 15 percent dues increase has been issued.

“I think getting this rate increase was a wake-up call. It makes people think about being a member of the chamber and challenging themselves over why they should be paying those dues,” he said candidly. “You should be getting back the monetary value of what you’ve paid in.”

Increasing communication, visibility, and knowledge — especially in face-to-face encounters — through chamber membership and business-to-business networking activities is the way Mr Anders believes his organization, all local businesses, and the entire community can become even better.

“It’s that business owner in the foxhole next to you who could have the key to helping your business survive,” Mr Anders concluded.

For information on the Chamber of Commerce of Newtown, visit newtown-ct.com or visit the chamber’s social network sites.