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Lewis County Economic Development and Chamber of
Commerce Exploring Feasibility of Future Organizational Merger
Published: August 05, 2022
at 03:30 p.m.
By: Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Brittany Davis
Executive Director
Lewis County IDA | Naturally Lewis
P. 315.376.3014 E. brittany@naturallylewis.com
Economic Development and Chamber of Commerce
Exploring Feasibility of Future Organizational Merger
LEWIS COUNTY, NY
–
The lead economic development agency, the Lewis County IDA (LCIDA), and the
lead membership and tourism promotion agency, the Lewis County Chamber of
Commerce, are taking the idea of “partnership” to the next level and
exploring the feasibility of an organizational merger that would
consolidate services, resources, and staff under one umbrella
organization. The potential new organization, called Naturally
Lewis, would be a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, leading economic,
business and tourism development efforts for Lewis County. The
Board of Directors of the Lewis County IDA, Lewis County Development
Corporation (LCDC) and the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce have been in
discussions for the past six months on the potential for a merger, and
since the start of the pandemic in 2020, further partnerships, collaboration and strategic planning among the three
entities solidified the need for a more streamlined approach to economic,
business and tourism development in Lewis County.
The proposed new
organization, Naturally Lewis, supported by a membership
network, would provide business and organizational support services,
leading ultimately to enhanced communities, a broadened tax base and a
better quality of life for all. Under a new board of directors,
the organization would retain all employees of the Lewis County IDA and
Lewis County Chamber of Commerce, and as part of the transition, the
organization would acquire all current and future economic development
strategic priorities. These focuses include:
business development and support services, property and site redevelopment
projects, tourism development and promotion initiatives, placemaking and
community building initiatives, marketing and promotion of Lewis County as
a great place to live, work, build business and play, membership services
and events and collaboration with communities, that are already being led
by the Lewis County IDA, LCDC and Lewis County Chamber of
Commerce. The merger would also allow for the consolidation and
streamlining of staff, finances and budgets, programming, marketing and
communications, fundraising, human resources, technology
and facilities to one organization.
Lewis County IDA
Board Chairman, Joe Lawrence, said “It is good to acknowledge that while each
organization has a strong history of serving Lewis County, their current
structures also have some fundamental limitations. A more formal
collaboration offers the opportunity to bolster the impact of their respective
strengths in growing our community.”
Lewis County
Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Nick Mir, said “The merger of
these two entities is a natural fit. The Chamber and Naturally Lewis have
been working together on collaborative projects for years now. Many of the
services they offer compliment and even overlap with each other. Bringing all of these services under one umbrella will help
streamline these processes, capitalize on resources, and result in even
better opportunities for Lewis County businesses.”
Lewis County
Development Corporation Chairman, Tim Petersen, said “The [potential]
merger of the organizations provides an effective means to leverage the
unique capabilities of each organization into a single entity that
otherwise would not be possible if the organizations continued to operate
independently. This merger only strengthens ability to grow the
economy in Lewis County.
Executive
Director of the Lewis County IDA, Brittany Davis, said “Our continued
collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce has led to great opportunities
for our business community. A merger of the economic development
and Chamber organizations would streamline, consolidate resources, clarify
staff roles, eliminate any duplication of efforts, and provide Lewis County
communities with even greater opportunities for the future.”
Executive
Director of the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce, Kristen Aucter, said “Looking at both of our agencies, from
very high-level strategy down to daily tasks, we identified many potential
opportunities for a more unified and efficient structure to help serve our
local businesses and communities.”
The potential
partnership would create an organization offering more services to our
business and organizations than ever before. In strategic
planning meetings, the three entities saw that a combined organization
would bring clarity on who we are and what we do in our communities,
providing opportunities to refocus efforts, consolidate resources, support
businesses and communities more effectively, highlighting our strengths and
creating an even better place for people to live, work, build business and
play.
Although the
partnership is still in feasibility and research phase, the staff and board
members of the three organizations are looking for feedback from the
current Lewis County Chamber of Commerce membership, local businesses,
community members, residents and tourists,
alike. Please visit https://naturallylewis.com/news/merger to provide
your feedback on an economic development and Chamber of Commerce
merger.
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About the Lewis
County IDA – The Lewis County IDA has been in operation since 1973 and is
a state authorized public benefit corporation that has
the ability to provide certain NYS sanctioned tax benefit programs,
such as Payment in Lieu of Taxes, and more. The Lewis County IDA
is currently the lead economic development agency for Lewis County,
promoting living, working and doing business
through its Naturally Lewis brand.
About the Lewis
County Development Corporation – The Lewis County Development Corporation
is a 501c3 development corporation empowered to construct, acquire, rehabilitate and improve for the use by others,
industrial or manufacturing facilities, make loans, and work closely with
municipalities and IDA’s on more flexible economic development projects and
initiatives. The LCDC has worked primarily on the demolition of
the Lyons Falls Mill Site over the past ten years, and currently contracts
with the LCIDA for staff services.
About the Lewis
County Chamber of Commerce – The Lewis County Chamber of
Commerce is an association of businesspeople designed to promote and
protect the interests of its members. The Chamber is supported
by membership dues and provides educational and networking opportunities
for members. The Lewis County Chamber of Commerce is also the
Tourism Promotion Agency for Lewis County, promoting visiting the region
through its Adirondacks Tug Hill brand.
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