Winter 2023 Note from the CEO

When we started the year, we took a renewed focus to our membership. Our mission is to serve the Vermillion area and its businesses to grow and prosper. Our guiding question for 2023 was “How do we serve you better?” Answering that question required us to take a step back and evaluate the services we provide as a chamber and development company. We met with you. We listened. We thank you for your feedback. We looked at our events, member benefits, initiatives, and programs. If they worked, we found ways to make them better. If they did not work, we endeavored to replace them with something that did.

One of our newer initiatives is providing more educational opportunities to our members. In September, we introduced our Grow with Google classes. This series, which we host in partnership with Danish Girl Marketing, helps members elevate their online presence, thereby growing business. We introduced our Coffee & Conversation series, which takes place the first Wednesday of every month, where we have guests from around the community or I speak on a variety of topics over coffee at McVicker Plaza. So far, we have had guest presentations on the Civic Council Thrift Store, the Police Department, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Vermillion School District, as well housing and economic development in Vermillion.

We expanded our advertising offerings, providing more ways than ever to get your message out through official VCDC channels. You can now buy display ads and push notifications on the Live Vermillion app, which may just be the most efficient way to get your business in front of an audience of over 1,400 people. For information-heavy announcements, members can take advantage of our email blast service, which has been used to announce Sanford’s breakthrough 3-D mammography technology, introduce the Vermillion area to Dr. Kirsten of Triumph Chiropractic, and distribute Vermillion’s triennial Community Health Needs Assessment survey.

Recently, we are most excited about our member check-in program, with the goal to meet face-to-face with one hundred members in one hundred days. This initiative is designed to strengthen relationships, understand member needs, and collaborate on solutions to ensure the continued growth and prosperity of our local business community. If you have not had your check-in yet, stay tuned!

It is an exciting time in the chamber world. We have grown to over three hundred and twenty-five members this year, and while I cannot disclose too much, we are working on some exciting new economic development projects in the pipeline. The Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company momentum can be seen and felt across Vermillion.

Thank you for your continued support.

Jim Peterson

VCDC President & CEO