By JEFF MEEK / Managing editor

Hot Springs Village Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Michael Dollar sat with the Voice to go over some updates and plans going on within the Chamber. He did so by sharing a chart showing what activities the Chamber sees as important and something they are excited to be a part of.
One leg of the chart was about programs, which included a somewhat new idea, that being the rental of event accessory items, like tablecloths, chair covers and even dinnerware.
Another program is called lead groups, which is a group of individuals in non-competitive businesses that do referrals within the group members. This group meets twice a month.
Under ribbon cuttings, Dollar said the three-year average is 16 people attending, which includes those ever-present green-sport-coat-clad Chamber Ambassadors. In 2017 there were 28 ribbon cuttings, with a total of 504 attendees.
Dollar praised those Ambassadors, saying 80 percent of those who participate do so at a level that earns them a recognition award.
Under the heading of work groups, Dollar said this has to do with projects. For example, the education group has made a trip to Mountain Home, Arkansas, with Jessieville School District leadership to do a site visit of that district’s “academy” curriculum, a curriculum for which Mountain Home has received national recognition. Jessieville is looking into instituting such a program, thus the visit.
As for marketing, the executive director talked about their Realtor program, which is an effort to meet the needs of visitors wanting a tour of the Village. “We get, on average, 150 nonresidents come through our doors every month,” Dollar said. And the office gets another 76 people who call from outside the area, another sign of growing interest in Hot Springs Village. He added there are 480 walk-ins per month when one counts residents and nonresidents. Tours are also going well with 446 tours given in 2017.
Events are also a big part of the Chamber. Coming up on Feb. 20 is the annual awards banquet and another Business Expo on May 4. Other events in the works are Hats Off To Women and a new event Dollar said is yet to be determined.
Community involvement activities of our chamber include participating with Benton and Bryant on a legislative breakfast. “We rotate doing that every other Friday,” said Dollar, who is also the chairman of the Village governmental affairs committee.
He is also on the technical and career educational advisory committee at Jessieville and community advisory committee at Fountain Lake. “This shows we are involved in the community and practice what we preach,” Dollar said.
He praised the Visitor Center volunteers for doing such a good job. These folks are Valerie Derryberry, Diane Bielanski, Maureen Morgan, Mary Orman, Melanie Pederson and Chuck Miller.
Dollar also wanted to share a change in format for the “Partner Up” program in 2018. This meeting used to have a single presenter, but this year that changes to a panel approach, to answer questions that members may have and how they address such matters. “It’s a panel, three to five people, for a discussion,” he said.
The location may also change from a member’s place of business to churches as hosts. Dollar sees this as a good opportunity to further open the doors to community involvement.
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