FARMINGTON — About 35 business owners, town officials and residents gathered Monday at the Fairbanks School Meetinghouse to hear more about forming a Farmington Business Association.

It’s about providing a place for business owners and residents to come together, brainstorm ideas, promote Farmington and special events that cover the whole town, said Andrew Hufnagel, who along with Kevin and Cindy Madore, are pursuing formation of the nonprofit group.

“It will have an open-door policy. Any citizen, business owner can join,” he said. Plans are to “provide a support system for both business owners and citizens,” ones who are all struggling in this economy.

Residents with the experience, education or a prior business background may have suggestions that help many of those involved, he said. He foresees the group’s ability to excel at bringing everyone together.

Questions were raised about already existing business-oriented organizations such as the Farmington Downtown Association and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.

After asking about a mission statement for the group, Jon Bubier of Ron’s Market inquired about uniting with the downtown association, expanding that group rather than starting a new group.

“Melding in to an existing organization was not the avenue I wanted to take,” Hufnagel responded.

His idea is to start with a clean slate. He’s leaving the mission statement, dues and bylaws up to members who will meet in about a month.

“There’s no way I’m trying to go against any pre-existing organization,” he said of comments made when he first announced the intention to form a new group.

“Farmington has one of the most beautiful downtowns,” he said. “They have a downtown focus.”

Hufnagel, a general contractor who works from his home, as do many other small business owners, doesn’t share their focus on downtown.

“What prevented you from working with the Chamber of Commerce?” asked chamber interim director Marc Relford, who also inquired if Hufnagel was aware of the transition undertaken by the chamber this year.

Hufnagel said he wasn’t against the chamber. He doesn’t know much about it.

As a local small business owner, he’d never been approached by the chamber and it didn’t occur to him to approach them, he said.

Suggesting the group could help with business assistance, Alison Hagerstrom, executive director for Greater Franklin Development Corp., asked Hufnagel about the type of assistance.

Networking opportunities for members and bringing inspirational speakers who could offer ideas to help everyone were a couple ideas he raised.

Another business owner asked about listening to other towns, suggesting that families are attracted to Wilton’s Blueberry Festival more than Farmington’s Summer Fest.

Hufnagel said he was willing to work with anyone. If an event drew more attendance he was willing to ask why and how, he said.

Agreeing that a lot of small businesses are located outside of town, Bussie York, representing agriculture, suggested there could be a spinoff for other businesses from activities such as his farm’s corn maze that attracts a few thousand people each year.

“We live in Farming – ton but you don’t see many farming events,” Hufnagel said about hopes to improve things already in existence as well as new ones.

Hufnagel, recovering from an injury last spring, has spent a lot of his recovery time talking with people and businesses. The result of those talks was the suggestion to form a new group, he said.

Once started, the group intends to develop a website and meet on a monthly basis.

For more information, Hufnagel may be contacted at hufnagel@beeline-online.net or by cell at 491-7299.

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