Every morning I wake up, look out the window and can’t believe my eyes. I live in such an awesome community. Ever since I moved to Viera with my husband and two children, this beautiful area has grown in leaps and bounds, not just due to the increasing number of residents but also because of the amount of new businesses that are opening as well.
During my conversations with other families in the Viera area, there is one thing we all have in common: We love supporting local businesses!
Not to toot my own horn, but to give you some background, I also started my own business, Viera Social Media, with the help of another new mom, April Ashley, who is an amazing graphic artist. She has been my rock in building the company.
Recently, I joined the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce and had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and chat with their new President and CEO, Jimmy Lane. He is new to Brevard County, having just relocated with his wife and children from Atlanta, Georgia, where he last served as the Executive VP of Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. He brings a lot of knowledge, experience, and zeal to his new role!
I found Jimmy to be amicable, intelligent, and truly dedicated to contributing to the growth of Brevard County and especially Viera.
Some of you may know that the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce once had an office at The Avenue Viera but it had to close its doors due to the pandemic. Lucky for us, the chamber is now looking to expand its presence in Viera once again.
The outreach of the chamber is far and wide throughout the country, ranging from Titusville to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, to the Suntree/Viera area and Palm Shores.
Currently, there are two chamber clubs that meet in Viera: The Viera Power Hour Business Exchange Leads Club and the B2B Leads Club. Leads clubs are regular meetings where business people meet to discuss local happenings and to provide warm leads to fellow club members. You can find their schedules on the Chamber’s website or follow them on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date.
While the chamber focuses on helping small businesses develop and grow, I also learned that it is heavily involved in growing the community as well. During our conversation, Jimmy mentioned that one does not have to be a business owner to join the chamber. In fact, you don’t even need to be a member to experience the benefits that the chamber provides.
Here are 5 reasons why people may want to get involved with the chamber:
- Access (to businesses and people in the community)
- Advocacy (especially for small businesses via education and financial assistance)
- Opportunity (especially for small businesses that want to position themselves in the community)
- Community (including Education, Affordable Housing, Transportation, Economic Development, Tourism)
- Volunteering (in committees, councils, clubs, and the community)
Notice that all 5 of these reasons revolve around community.
Even if you have a small business consisting of just you or a few people, joining the chamber may be a viable option.
First of all, you can develop friendships and make connections with other businesses via networking events, ribbon cuttings, and educational training and seminars.
After all, “you are not taught to be a business owner,” says Jimmy, whose goal is to help small businesses grow and flourish to better serve all residents in our area.
The chamber currently has about 1,200 business and individual memberships.
For more information, contact Cheryl Clark cclark@cocoabeachchamber.com or go to cocoabeachchamber.com
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This article was ghostwritten by Author’s Writter.