The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will lay off some employees, and its support corporation, the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, will become dormant.
Its funding has been cut, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is laying off some employees, an official said Monday.
It will be a smaller organization, and the Chamber’s support corporation, the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, will become dormant, its work absorbed by the Chamber, said Parker Hardy, president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
Hardy declined to name the employees who will be laid off or say how many workers might be affected, although he said the information could be shared later.
“Some people will be let go,” he said. “I’m not going to start sharing specific names in the media today.”
Hardy declined to say what would happen with members of the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership team, who are Chamber employees.
“We just don’t discuss personnel matters with the media,” he said.
The Partnership team includes Kim Denton, Kathy Barber, and Elisabeth Brown, according to the organization’s website, and Denton and Barber are, perhaps, most well-known for their work with local industries and office tenants as well as the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board.
Hardy said he wanted to give the employees who will be laid off time to notify customers and volunteers.
Hardy said the changes at the Chamber are the result of a change in its contract with the city, which recently reduced funding and prohibited spending on Chamber staff, and a cut in financing from the Innovation Valley, which is now managed by the Knoxville Chamber.
“The way we are doing economic development in Oak Ridge is changing,” Hardy said.
In May, the Oak Ridge City Council approved a new budget that allots $175,000 for Chamber-related expenses, or “hard cost marketing” such as sending people to meet with industrial suppliers or shopping center retailers. Under the new contract, no city resources can be used for Chamber staff expenses.
The Chamber contract had previously been valued at about $260,000 per year, and some resources could be used for economic development staffing.
Hardy said the Innovation Valley funding had been for reimbursable expenses. The organization no longer offers financial support for Oak Ridge or other communities it serves, he said.
“We are going to be leaner,” Hardy said. “There are things that we are not going to be able to do that we have been able to do in the past.”
Even though the Partnership will become dormant, the Chamber will continue to work with retail, commercial, industrial, and office businesses, Hardy said.
“We’re not getting out of the economic development business,” he said.
He said the Partnership could become dormant later this summer, and its future could be resolved by the end of the year.
Hardy said the Chamber will consider how to restructure its staff so that the city doesn’t lose its economic momentum. The changes come even as the economic picture in Oak Ridge seems to be brighter than it has been recently, with a possible redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall, a planned Kroger Marketplace shopping center, new businesses on Oak Ridge Turnpike and South Illinois Avenue, and a proposed multi-billion dollar Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, among other things.
Hardy said the Partnership was created for the three main participants in industrial development: the Chamber, City of Oak Ridge, and Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee. The nonprofit organization’s initial filing date was in January 2002, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website.
But the city now has its own two economic development consultants—Ray Evans and Steve Jones—and its relationship with the Chamber is changing, Hardy said.
Still, the economy is generally better and the retail environment is improving, so the question is how to manage resources with less money but more opportunity, Hardy said.
“I think we can emerge from this thing with a different kind of partnership,” he said.
Kay Williamson says
i don’t mean to sound mean, but seriously, not once have we ever been contacted to join the chamber by someone there that i know of, we looked at it on line, but your people should pound the pavement to get local businesses to become members,
Anne Garrison Ross says
Most business owners know that one of the very first things you do is to join your local chamber of commerce. You don’t wait to be asked.
Johnny Beck says
If the chamber isn’t keeping an up-to-date list of businesses in the community and checking with the ones that are not members at least once a year, the chamber is not doing their job. Meet and greets for new businesses are also an important function that they should be doing at least quarterly.
David A. Vudragovich says
For all the networking events I go to, I see very few O.R. business owners let alone businesses represented (aka they send an employee). Many businesses do not see networking events as valuable or worth their time. Many businesses are “Hunters” always looking for the next sale, not “Farmers” growing the credibility and relationships that create future referrals. And before I get accused of saying one way is better than another, absolutely not! As with most things you need a balance that fits your business and personality. I invite people on a regular basis to many networking/social events and continually get the reply “I don’t have time” or “That does not work” but those are the same people that are complaining of cash flow issues and their advertising not working (which I now know better than to ask if they track it).
Kay Williamson says
i AGREE johnny, Make a large show of support to the members builts a community up AND draws them in, I personally have not seen anything that really draws the chambers IN… especially when they are getting large amount of their resources already from us threw our tax money.
Kay Williamson says
Well I believe when they didn’t contact us they didn’t want us to join, but Anderson County ASK, came for a meet and greet, sent letters, support papers, ask us to advertise for them in their booklets,,, and we gladly JOINED
David A. Vudragovich says
Well, congrats! Was it recent? If so I missed it, I try to say hello to all new members on fb and like their page.
Kay Williamson says
earlier this year!!!
David A. Vudragovich says
Kay, I know your name (I think through fb, we have a bunch of mutual friends) but Googling you I could not find what your business is. What is it?
Angi Agle says
Kay works for Noble Metals.
David A. Vudragovich says
Thank you.
Kay Williamson says
Thank you,
Raymond Charles Kircher says
Kay, I don’t understand how the CoC missed your business. It could be something with the previous owners, but I have been contacted year after year about joining the CoC since 2003. I replied that with as much as they get from the taxpayers, including myself an OR citizen, my business has already paid into them far more than I receive from them. Even though I pay thrice into the CoC through my property tax, business tax, and businesses who belong to the CoC I patronize, they weren’t going to include my business. I haven’t been contacted since 2009 about joining. It could be that I continually reply, but I am already paying into your organization.
Ck Kelsey says
So property taxes go to the Chamber. Interesting.I suppose I knew that but hadn’t thought about it very much.I realize it is indirectly ,unlike the schools etc. But the question I like to ask is,how many home’s taxes does it take to fund an expenditure for trips ,salaries ,extra personnel ,and such? Just a different way of looking at it.
Helen Standifer says
I’m late to this discussion but I have something to say……I am sure Mr. Parker has been around long enough that he’s had to tighten his belt. It is what all of have been doing for a while. Sorry you won’t be able to do things you’ve done in the past. Join the club.