I am pleased to reintroduce our Chamber supplement to Franklin County. In partnership with the Sun Journal we will keep you posted in regards to Chamber happenings and member events.

As you know, last year was an eventful year for the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Looking at a “financial cliff” of our own, in March the board of directors voted to dissolve the Chamber. Luckily, it needed a vote of the membership to happen.

On April 4th, the membership met and voted overwhelmingly to stay the course. We established three committees that included members as well as the board to address the short-term goals and revise the strategic plan. I want to thank everyone who participated in those committees.

Reducing overhead was our major goal. We considered several locations and decided that the Walmart Plaza option made the most fiscal sense and offered unmatched visibility that would be a great plus for the membership. They offered a space with all utilities included and a $2,500 community grant.

We have set up a brochure rack in the lobby and have had several positive comments about it. BeeLine Cable provides us with free telephone and Internet service. We now have an intern from the University of Maine at Farmington who works three mornings a week and gets class credits and another intern from University of Maine at Augusta with business experience. Having these interns will enable our director to get out of the office to visit with new and existing members.

Our goal is to promote our members and Franklin County through a series of social and educational events and stop the constant fund raising needed to keep the doors open. If you would like to get involved with the Chamber or learn about what the Chamber has to offer you and your business, please call 778-4215 or email marc@franklincountymaine.org and we will arrange a time to come to you.

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Sincerely,

Marc Relford

Interim Director

Franklin County Chamber of Commerce


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