SE Volusia Chamber of Commerce opens its house for business

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(Photos by Dale Smith). A new sign in the front yard at 310 Julia St., New Smyrna Beach, announces the new temporary home of the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will stay at that location for at least a year until the historic chamber building on Canal Street is renovated and updated.  Walter and Ann Johnson of Settle-Wilder Funeral Home, center and right, pose for a photo with SE Volusia Chamber Executive Vice President Samantha Bishop.

Editor's note: The following story was submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH – An open house has heralded in a new beginning for the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce as it readies to fire up business in 2011.

Dozens of members of the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce enjoy the open house at 310 Julia St., the temporary new home of the chamber. The back yard was a popular place where drinks were available and a DJ provided music. As the smaller photo shows, several tables of food and snacks filled rooms inside the chamber's new home.

The chamber operation, complete with staff, computers, desks and brochures, moved into their temporary new home at 310 Julia Street where they will serve the hundreds of merchant members for at least the next year.

The chamber moved out of its city-owned Canal Street building earlier this month to make way for workers to begin renovating the historic building.

Executive Vice President Samantha Bishop said the transition from the old to the new site was seamless, thanks to all the volunteers, especially Zack McDonald of TUI Printing, who brought a large truck to Canal Street and moved all of the furniture.

“He did it in only a few hours,” Bishop said. “Zack just came in with a cousin and started taking desks apart.”

Two weeks ago, chamber board members and volunteers worked all day to get organized in the yellow bungalow house.

“They set up all of our computers and even backed up our files,” Bishop said. “By Dec. 3, we were up and running and we even had some visitors stop by. They found us because the city put up some wayfinding signs on Canal Street.”

Bishop said one of the first things they did to get organized was the visitor’s wall where brochures and informational pamphlets are stored.

“That was important to get that up,” she said.

The Dec. 9 open house saw countless dozens of merchants to the open house bringing toys and non-perishable foods to donate to the Edgewater Rotary Club’s Christmas toy drive. Each year Rotarians help out needy families during the holidays. One room in the new temporary chamber building was dedicated to receiving the toys and food items, including two child’s bicycles.

This table of toys and non-perishable food items grew each minute, as well as the floor surrounding it, as chamber merchants attending the open house Thursday contributed to the Edgewater Rotary’s annual Christmas toy drive.

Volunteers Barbara Hall and Wendy Evans from Pillar to Post Home Inspections, stood by the table laden with goods.

“The Rotary does such a nice job with the toy drive,” Hall said.

Toys werren't the only good thing to talk about.

Since Bishop took over for the fired Steve Dennis in late August, the chamber’s membership has grown as well as the number of volunteers wanting to help out.

“Some of the old members that dropped out are now coming back,” she said. “We’re very pleased with that.”

Bishop said she has hired two new staff members, both college students, who will play a critical role as the chamber moves forward: Heather Farrell is the new administrative manager. She will handle the membership database and membership mailings. Jessica Clancy now mans the Visitors Information Center. She will update all of the lists and create a reference book for all the volunteers. She will also eventually manage the satellite office in Edgewater.

About the contributing writer:

Dale Smith is a resident of New Smyrna Beach, who has reported on local news in Volusia County since October 2009.  His writing background includes a mix of journalism and public relations in several community newspapers and a p.r. firm in northern Virginia. He attended Barton Academy in Barton, Vt., and the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Broadcasting for radio & TV broadcasting.