Chamber brings back ambassador program

The Madison County Chamber of Commerce is bringing back its ambassador program, and Executive Director Kelly Mego said she needs the help.

The chamber, which runs on a part-time staff, has gone without ambassadors for several years. Mego said she came in as director and the program was already gone.

'They're goodwill faces,' Mego said. 'They go out into the community and are representatives.'

Ambassadors are volunteers. They visit businesses, welcome new members, attend chamber events and recruit prospective members. Mego said she modeled the program after those used by the Navasota and Walker County Huntsville chambers.

'I can't be everywhere all the time, and so I need extra hands and feet to provide that,' Mego said.

She said awareness of the chamber itself is a problem, particularly among younger residents.

'I've heard from a lot of people recently, especially in the younger generation, that they don't even know what the chamber of commerce is or what it does,' Mego said.

The chamber is looking to start with four ambassadors and a program head, whom Mego said has already been identified. The term runs one calendar year, March through February. To qualify, applicants must be chamber members in good standing, attend monthly ambassador meetings and commit to business drop-in visits. The application also requires attending at least 50% of chamber special events.

There is no pay. What ambassadors get, Mego said, is their name and their business out in the community.

'You shake the hands, you say hello to people and they get to know who you are and you get to know who they are,' Mego said.

Ambassadors will go out in pairs. Mego said she will not send anyone alone.

'I'm never going to send you out on your own,' Mego said.

She said the right candidate does not have to walk into a room with ease. The program, she said, is a place to build those skills.

'It takes a special person to be able to walk into a business, shake their hand, say hello and invite them,' Mego said. 'It comes very naturally to some people and not so naturally to other people.'

New businesses moving into Madison County pushed the relaunch along. Mego said she often makes early contact with incoming businesses, but the relationship drops off before they are fully established. She wants ambassadors in those doors first.

'When you do a ribbon cutting with your community, it signals that you're looking for community relationships,' Mego said.

She pointed to a fashion show held last year by The Woodbine Inn and Restaurant and Heart to Heart as an example of what can come out of those conversations. The event was not a chamber production. It grew out of a conversation Mego had with chamber members about getting local customers through their doors.

'Growth is coming, and we want to be able to strategically provide for that growth,' Mego said.

Ambassadors are expected to support ribbon cuttings and attend events including Lunch and Learns, Business After Hours, the annual banquet, the Job Fair and the Christmas Parade. Per the program's guidelines, ambassadors must represent the chamber professionally, stay politically non-partisan and refrain from direct selling at chamber functions.

At year's end, the chamber plans to recognize an outstanding ambassador at its annual banquet. A membership drive is also planned for later this year.

Applications are available through the chamber at officemanager@ madisonchamber.

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