Onaway Chamber celebrates First Annual Dinner Meeting
The Onaway Chamber of Commerce has been very busy this year promoting the Onaway area, and in order to help commemorate that effort, members of the chamber gathered Saturday evening to enjoy a night of guest speakers, good food, gifts, and fine company.
The president and CEO of Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, Eric Baker, was the highlighted guest speaker for the evening. Baker, who is an honors graduate of Michigan Technological University, has worked for Wolverine for more than 20 years. He is a native of Cadillac and lives there with his wife and children.
ONAWAY CHAMBER of Commerce executive director Bev Brougham also spoke Saturday evening, explaining what the chamber has accomplished in the past year, and what it has planned for the future.
?We receive about 50 calls a week from tourists coming to our area,? said Brougham. ?Additional calls are for information on everything from phone numbers of businesses to helping to track down lost relatives. (There is) never a dull day on the phones when they are ringing at the office.?
Brougham said the main concern of the chamber is to attract as many tourists to the area as possible. Many new tourists this year have come due to the local iron art of Moran Iron Works, which were highlighted in a recent publication called Weird Michigan.
?We have produced a brochure called ?Iron Sculptures by Moran? due to the many requests that have come from as far away as Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and west Michigan,? said Brougham. ?In one month, we had more than 25 requests and calls asking about the sculptures and where they all were located.?
Brougham said visitors interested in the Onaway area are not only calling by telephone, they are also visiting the chamber?s website (www.onawaychamber.com) in order to gather more information about tourist attractions.
?I had a call from the Detroit chapter of the American Lung Association that is hosting a bicycle rally in northern Michigan with a route through Onaway,? said Brougham. ?They were looking for a Subway or ice cream shop along their route ? eureka! Onaway has both! They found us on the web.?
The Onaway Chamber of Commerce also has been searching for grant money this year, and was successful with the PIE & G Communities First Grant Program, where the chamber received funding for new picnic tables at Chandler Park.
BROUGHAM SAID the chamber is organizing a business directory with 500 to 1,000 copies printed, and all funded through advertising. She said the chamber is also excited to offer business-enhancing classes to interested people this year, with the help of Michigan Works and Michigan Small Business Technology Assistance.
?We will try to keep these course at a low cost and at a high value so businesses can benefit from improving customer service ? from writing a business plan in order to get a new venture going, to hiring the right person for the job,? said Brougham.
In closing, Brougham reminded chamber members that tourists come from other areas and offer tourist dollars to visit Onaway ? the place where most chamber members call ?home.?
?Be proud of your town, and what we have to offer,? said Brougham. ?Help t
Four awards were handed out during Saturday?s event, including the Volunteer of the Year award, which was given to Candy Faith. The Onaway Goodfellows, with coordinator Terry Materna, were honored with the Civic Organization of the Year award. Holy Cross Lutheran Church was recognized with a Special Achievement award for the 75th Diamond Jubilee. The Outstanding Business of the Year award was given to Ellenberger Lumber for 79 years of dedicated service to the community.
The Onaway Chamber board of directors was re-elected with no changes.