Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce Committees
Committees are the worker bees of the Sidney
Area Chamber. They each have
specific responsibilities and work very hard to carry them out. Most meet monthly, but some less
often. New members are welcome at
any time. Call the Chamber office
for information about the committee(s) that interests you. Several events have committees that only
work on that specific event and only during part of the year. Those committees are: Heritage Day, Sunrise Festival of the
Arts, the Lone Tree Gun Show & Wings of Freedom Air Show.
Trade Promotion
Committee
This committee plans promotions throughout the year to draw
people to Sidney to shop and promote Sidney as a regional trade center. Their successful “Sidney’s Got It!”
television promotion earns bonus ads each year for the Chamber to promote events
in Sidney. This committee also
plans seminars and workshops to educate businesses and their employees in
customer service, tax changes, debt collection, and other employer
concerns. Their promotions and
events include:
Heritage Day (June)
Race for Daylight (October)
July Jamboree (July)
Christmas Stroll (November)
Christmas Big Bucks loan program
(Nov-Dec)
Christmas Cash (Nov-Dec)
Sidney’s Got It!
This committee meets at the Chamber at noon on the second
Wednesday of each month. All
Chamber members are welcome, but those in the retail trades would be
particularly impacted. Current
Chairman is Jodi Seitz.
Sports
and Recreation Committee
This committee works closely with the school district to plan
bids for basketball tournaments, hospitality for other hosted tournaments, and
volunteers to provide tournament services such as ticket taking and
selling. This committee also
attends Class C district and divisional meetings to present bids for tournaments
and track meets. This committee
promotes Sidney as a site for area sporting events of all sorts, recruits
sponsors for major events, works to finance successfully bid events, and develop
new events. Events and programs
include:
Various tournaments with
hospitality rooms and volunteers
Sidney Sugars Shoot-out
Gem City Motor Classic
MDU Lewis & Clark Co-ed Softball Grand Slam
NFL Play-off Books
Concessions
for Spring Track
Meets
This committee meets at the Chamber at noon on the first
Tuesday of each month. All
Chamber members are welcome to attend, but those businesses impacted by sporting
events may be particularly interested. Current Chairman is Eric Beenken.
Agriculture Committee
The focus of this committee is on agriculture as our economic
base and how to include and promote agriculture in Chamber membership, events,
and activities. Its purpose is
threefold: recognition,
education, and communication. Members of the committee help plan and participate in Ag Days, serve
breakfast at this event, and help to man an informational booth at the Trade
Show. They retain close contact
with the USDA-ARS-NPARL; members serve on their focus group and lobby on behalf
of this facility when necessary to help solve funding problems. Committee members also help to prepare
and serve the noon meal at Ag Field Day and attend meetings with visiting
dignitaries. This committee also
submits to the Executive Board a nomination for the Ag Award at the annual
Chamber Banquet. Events of this
committee are:
Ag Days Breakfast and Booth
Best of the West Beef
Showcase
National Ag Week Display
Ag Appreciation Golf
Tournament
Assistance with Field Day
This committee meets monthly on the first Wednesday at
noon at the Chamber. Any
Chamber member interested in the development and promotion of agriculture is
invited to attend meetings and become active. The current Chairman is Keith
Dynneson.
Leadership Task
Force
This committee oversees the Sidney Area Leadership
Program. This program, developed by the Sidney Area Chamber, is held on an
annual basis and is open to anyone in the community who is wanting to increase
their leadership skills. Applications are available by July 1 each year
and classes begin in September. The course consists of 7-8 Issues Days and
3 Skills Development half-day seminars. The goal is to train leaders for
the area, by giving them in-depth information and skills. A class project
will also meet a need of the area. Fees are $200, but a reduced fee of
$175 is available for Sidney Chamber members. Graduation is held in
April. This committee meets monthly on the first Thursday at 7:00
a.m. Libby Berndt is the current Chairman of the Leadership Task
Force.
Membership
The primary purpose of this committee is to broaden the base
of Chamber membership by recruiting new members and working to retain current
membership through contact and by developing membership benefits. Responsibilities of this committee
include: development of membership packet, revision of forms, systematic calls
on the membership, developing and recommending changes in member services and
benefits to the Executive Board, and supervision of the Sunrise Ambassadors
program to represent the Chamber at community events, open houses, ribbon
cuttings, and Business After Hours. This committee develops new services and benefits based on the findings
of periodic membership surveys that are developed within the committee and
approved by the Executive Board. This committee meets monthly on the third Wednesday at 8:00
a.m. Tawnya Gurney is currently
the Chairman of the Membership Committee.
