Q: Beyond membership numbers, what does true engagement look like for chamber members, and how do you foster that? A: I have a dedicated membership team of six people who work every day to help our members and investors engage through new member recruitment, renewals, investor upgrades or sponsorship and advertising sales. I encourage every member to attend as many events as their schedules allow and stay up to date with e-newsletters and other publications distributed by the Chamber. I invite our members to communicate— whether positive or not—their experiences and views with me, our membership team and the larger Chamber leadership team so we always know whether expectations are being met. Engaging with the Chamber is about engaging in our work, staying informed, sharing the interests of the business community, voting and contacting your legislator. Q: Looking ahead, what opportunities excite you most when it comes to growing and strengthening the Greater OKC Chamber’s impact? A: Right now, the opportunity for members to invest in Forward OKC VII really motivates me. It is such an exciting time for our region, with the new NBA arena, LA28 Olympic Games events, the multipurpose stadium, new retail and companies expanding or moving here. I want every member to feel they are a part of the momentum of our next five years, and Forward OKC VII provides critical funding for initiatives in our five-year strategic plan. Even though the OKC region is riding a wave of success, we now compete against a different level of cities and regions—even while our former competitors work to replicate our success. It will take all of us working together to make continued progress. Forward OKC VII is an easy and meaningful way to be connected and play a vital role in OKC's future. Q: Are there any new initiatives or strategic directions that you believe will bring even greater value to current and future members? A: From the big-picture perspective, our Chamber’s willingness to tackle hard topics—like criminal justice reform, our region’s education system, workforce alignment, capacity and growth—is critical. Each of these issues impacts our quality of life, our success attracting new jobs and investment and the ability for our existing member businesses to grow. From a closer view,
maintaining a membership that reflects our community means providing opportunities and information to help employees network and grow, and offering a program of events and activities to keep our business leaders informed and excited about the community and its potential. Q: For businesses that are considering joining, what would you say about the benefits of being part of the Greater OKC Chamber? A: There will always be opportunities to showcase your business to new and long-time members through networking events. You’ll have the opportunity to be well-informed about what’s happening in our community, what’s coming and what we need to focus on improving—and you can be as engaged as you choose. No matter your involvement, your dollars help improve the business climate of our region. You are behind the success of our work in economic development, advocacy, visitor development and more, as we make this a better city every day. Dollar for dollar, there is no better investment than a Greater OKC Chamber membership for every employee or leader of any type of business in our region. Q: If people want to become a member, how do they do so? A: Please email me at hwatkins@okcchamber.com or call 405-297-8948. I, or a member of my team, will respond right away to get you connected with us. Thank you.
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