By Rick KRON
Leader staff writer
The Sherwood Chamber of Commerce has a new director and a new charge. It has become the lead or point organization for the city’s economic development and its efforts to pursue an independent school district.
The new director is Marcia Cook, and the council gave the chamber the nod Monday night to be its contact for economic development.
Mayor Virginia Hillman told the council that the city had budgeted $50,000 to try, once again, to build an economic development program. Hillman said she felt teaming with the chamber was the best option, adding that there were things the chamber could do that the city couldn’t.
“We are in need of an economic development department,” the mayor explained, “We do not want to be left behind.”
Chambers’ president Joey Parker said the annual cost to run and fund the venture would be about $136,000. “We are not talking just a person, but a whole wing, a new division of the chamber,” he said.
“This is something you can’t stop after just a few months,” Parker said. “It’s a long-term commitment.”
When asked how the chamber could ensure better success than previous economic development incarnations, Parker said, “The reputation of the whole chamber is riding on this,” he said.
Although details still have to be worked out, Parker said the chamber representative would make quarterly formal reports to the council and would have monthly meetings with the mayor and others.
The resolution passed by the council authorized the mayor to contract with the chamber for the purpose of providing economic development services. Before the program can officially start, the mayor will have to bring back the contract and details of the program for the council to approve.
“This is not something we just thought of last night,” Parker said, “We’ve been working on this for a long time. This is strictly about putting the best offense out on the table to represent Sherwood.”
Cook, who has been the executive director for just five days, said, “I see Sherwood as a great place to live and a great place to work, but sometimes we aren’t aware of all the services and product we have to offer each other.”
“We don’t always have to go to Jacksonville or Little Rock for a service or product,” she said.
Cook, who has been a member of the chamber since 2005 when she formed Pinnacle Performance Solutions, a business coaching and consulting firm, sees her executive director role as “developing the chamber more. I want it to have more value to its members and to the city. I want to attract and keep business.”
Cook doesn’t see herself as the economic development person who goes out to call on potential business.
“I think we’ll hire someone specifically for that, but the details haven’t been spelled out yet. All I know is that there is a lot of potential out there,” Cook said.
