{"id":8800,"date":"2018-08-16T13:29:06","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T17:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/?p=8800"},"modified":"2018-08-16T13:31:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T17:31:00","slug":"fauquier-chamber-of-commerce-reaches-for-brass-ring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/fauquier-chamber-of-commerce-reaches-for-brass-ring\/","title":{"rendered":"Fauquier Chamber of Commerce reaches for brass ring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vibrant growth without sprawl and crawl<\/strong><\/p>\n

The year was 1599 when the curtain lifted on the first performance of Shakespeare\u2019s Julius Caesar at London\u2019s Globe Theater. It was also the year the first chamber of commerce was created in Marseille, France. The chamber had a tough act to follow.<\/p>\n

But in the ensuing centuries the organization has done quite nicely, thank you. Today, there are over 13,000 chambers in the World Chamber Registry and some 4,000 in the U.S. headed by at least one full time staff person; thousands more are operating stateside as volunteer led organizations. All of them representing some three million businesses nationwide.<\/p>\n

When the Bard of Avon penned his play\u2019s famous lines, \u201cFriends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears,\u201d the chamber was listening.<\/p>\n

Here in Fauquier County we have the modern equivalent of the first chamber president embodied in Joe Martin. Martin, 60, exemplifies a 21st century executive with his tall, fit and amicable style. His qualifications reflect \u201cto the manor born\u201d but with the accent on downhome. He is clearly a mirror of the community he serves.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Joe Martin<\/p><\/div>\n

Born and raised in Manassas, Martin has chamber business in his DNA. His father, grandfather and he were all former chairmen of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce where his family operated Dudley Martin Chevrolet for over 60 years. To this day, it\u2019s still the only three-generation chairmen of the Prince William Chamber.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was exposed to it very early. I\u2019ve got community involvement in my soul,\u201d said Martin. In addition to working for the family business for 14 years, he also logged time running an audio marketing firm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout my different careers I got involved in quite a few different organizations including serving on the boards of the Manassas School Education Foundation, the American Small Business Coalition and the International On Hold Messaging Association. Of course, those were all volunteer positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time it occurred to Martin that his volunteer work had provided him a wealth of experience and seeking a career in chamber work made sense. \u201cI started soul searching. I\u2019d had had all these volunteer leadership positions and thought \u2018why not work at an association or chamber and actually get paid for it\u2019,\u201d said Martin.<\/p>\n

His timing was perfect since the Fauquier Chamber was looking for a new president. \u201cFive people called me and said, \u2018Joe, you\u2019ve got to apply for that position.\u2019\u201d Some 44 other people had thrown their hat in the ring so the job was not a lock. \u201cThey brought it down to four finalists and in late winter of 2010 they hired me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The challenge
\n<\/strong>Early on Martin encountered a singular issue of importance. Fauquier County had two active chambers in a geographical area more suited to one. As he prepared to take charge in January 2011, a question was frequently posed to him: Are you going out there to mend fences? \u201cI told them, no. I was going out to build bridges.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was serendipitous that the new president had been successful in merging two Prince William chambers so he was up to the challenge. But it was not his immediate goal. Even though he lived just one county over he was surprised how separate the two counties were.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy initial goal was to get to know the community and get to know the leaders within the community and both chambers. I wanted to find out where our synergies were and where we could partner together and find out what strategic partnerships were best for the entire business community,\u201d Martin said. In short, he proceeded slow and thoughtfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot of bridges to build and nothing happens fast in Fauquier.\u201d<\/p>\n

For over five years incremental progress was made on knitting the two chambers relationships. What emerged was a \u201cUnity Plan\u201d that avoided the expense and difficulties of a formal merger since many members of the Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce were also members of the Fauquier Chamber.<\/p>\n

In the end, the unity of the two chambers accomplished important goals, among them the pragmatic advantage of members not having to pay two dues and attend separate events. \u201cHowever, we never changed out mutual focus or goals,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n

When the Unity Plan finally came to fruition, people told him they were pleased with what he had accomplished. \u201cNo, no, no. It wasn\u2019t about me. It was about we,\u201d said Martin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hired to run the day-to-day operation but it\u2019s really up to our board and our leadership to established the governance of where we want to go. I\u2019m an integral part of that. But without strong leadership in both chambers the Unity Plan would have never come together,\u201d said Martin.<\/p>\n

Goals
\n<\/strong>Today, Martin wants the Fauquier Chamber to be a strong and leading voice on economic development within the community. The organization seeks to be a \u201cconnector\u201d, bringing all member businesses in contact with one another so the best services can be brought to bear on building a vibrant business environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also want to be an advocate at the state level and, if needed, at the Federal level for our businesses,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n

The organization has about 500 members and sees the opportunity to grow to between 600 and 700. The annual dues range in cost from $160 to $250 based on the size of the company.<\/p>\n

To accomplish its expansion and business goals, the chamber board consists of 20 members with an executive committee of eight members. The chair of the board is Margie Markham with Summit Community Bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt became it apparent to me after becoming board chair my role would be to move the chamber forward,\u201d said Markham. \u201cThere have been a lot changes over the last few years and my vision is to create an organization that\u2019s looking toward the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe has been a real asset during this period and a good spokesperson. His contribution has been so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

To underscore Markham\u2019s goals, Martin, a member of the board of the Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, recently attended its annual conference in Harrisonburg. \u201cMargie had me to go down there and just think out of the box,\u201d said Martin. Markham wanted to know how the chamber could best help the business community and the community at large.\u201d<\/p>\n

What dictated new strategies? \u201cCommunications for one. We have a very vibrant young professional council. The way the millennials communicate with each other can be very different in how the rest of us communicate,\u201d said Martin.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many people today are conducting business online. We have to be focused on how we can best facilitate and assist with that approach to business. It\u2019s really what the chamber is all about. We are here to assist. We are here to advocate. Whether it\u2019s a legal issue, a connector issue or networking issue, we have to be the purveyor of best form of communication possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond serving as a catalyst for the business community, Martin believes there is also a community-wide service obligation. As an example, seven years ago he was surprised to learn there was no event to honor county public safety professionals who had gone above and beyond the call of duty.<\/p>\n

In 2012, the chamber established its annual \u201cValor Awards\u201d program. In April of this year, 55 individuals were recognized for their exceptional work. \u201cWe felt that even if it didn\u2019t necessarily fit the chamber\u2019s mission and vision, the awards did fill a community need.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his experience at the helm of the Fauquier Chamber, what are Martin\u2019s thoughts on his job today?<\/p>\n

\u201cA few months into taking this job I fell in love with Fauquier County,\u201d said Martin. \u201cI fell in love with the business community. I\u2019ve seen the changes that have happened over the last seven years and the wonderful places we can go and the heights we can achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of unique things this business community can achieve without sprawl and crawl. And it excites me every day to drive into the chamber office and know all that is ahead of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Published in the August 15, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vibrant growth without sprawl and crawl The year was 1599 when the curtain lifted on the first performance of Shakespeare\u2019s Julius Caesar at London\u2019s Globe Theater. It was also the year the first chamber of commerce was created in Marseille, France. The chamber had a tough act to follow. But in the ensuing centuries the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[939,940],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n