The Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its 25th year as an organization in 2010. Over our 25-year history, at first glance it would seem that things have changed a great deal. On the other hand, one of the first branding campaigns the Chamber created for the City of Richmond Hill in the ’80s was the slogan – “Richmond Hill – A Great Place to Live!” I, like many others, believe that Richmond Hill continues to be a great place to live, as well as work—not much has changed.

Our city is unique in that we have a small town feel just minutes from a large city. We provide our residents and our businesses a great community atmosphere that breeds great customer service and loyalty among residents. Our chamber offers functions throughout the year that support and highlight the local business in our community. We have championed the “shop local” campaign and continue to look for ways to encourage local business growth, as well as development throughout the city. Our most recent event, the holiday “Christmas Stroll,” was a huge success and kept many holiday shoppers in town supporting our local economy. I know that many local business owners enjoy operating a business in a town and community that support each other.

One of my favorite books is Good to Great by Jim Collins. This best seller in the business world has many great bits of information that can be used in all areas of life. The most truthful bit of information is when Collins makes the statement that “the enemy of greatness is good.” Think about it for a moment. We all seem to just accept being “good” because it takes so much more effort to be “great.”

This past year was a rough time period for the national economy, and unfortunately, we did see this trickle down into our local businesses. Like everyone else, I hope the New Year will produce different results. It is our challenge as the Chamber of Commerce to help 2010 be better than just “good”…our challenge to our members and our community is to make 2010 GREAT!

The Board of Directors of the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce has many things planned to make 2010 GREAT for our members. We provide monthly opportunities to get plugged in and network with fellow business owners within the community at Business After Hours, hosted the third Thursday of every month. We also pride ourselves in offering a wealth of knowledge to our members through seminars and publications. I firmly believe that one of the first steps you can take to making 2010 a GREAT year is to join the Chamber of Commerce and get involved.

We look forward to seeing all of our members, new and old, at our 25th Anniversary Celebration Dinner in April.

Have a GREAT Year!