Local business organization spearheads economic actions

The Chamber of Commerce took the lead and partnered with town leadership and other organizations to develop a vision for a revitalized downtown on a couple of fronts.

The Chamber’s Business Vitality Advisory Council (BVAC) retained Swaback Partners, a team of urban planners, to create a concept for downtown development. Vernon Swaback, the founder of the firm, views the challenge as determining requirements to encourage new people to move or visit Fountain Hills without losing the existing spirit among current residents.

BVAC is composed of 25 individuals representing town officials, Chamber leaders, the Strategic Plan Advisory Commission, development sector, school district, cultural community, tourism sector, business community in general, the citizenry at large, and also the town’s neighbors – the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

A second significant venture was the formation of Fountain Hills Town Center, a volunteer committee modeled after the Main Street concept developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The committee is strengthening the downtown’s image through promotion and marketing, physical improvements, organizational planning by a volunteer organization and building on existing assets to attract  new business and capital.

Town Center markers bearing a logo were erected to designate the commercial business core. The committee was involved in Oktoberfest, Halloween on the Avenue of the Fountains and Stroll in the Glow events.

The Chamber offers its members benefits designed to enable them to increase their business. Among these benefits are the monthly breakfast meetings that feature timely speakers with topical  opinions, monthly networking social mixers, annual awards gala, and a Web site that provides a directory of members and services divided into categories to simplify finding a product or service.  The Chamber plans to further enhance the Web site in the coming year. A list of Chamber of Commerce members is reproduced in this Community Guide.

Organized as a non-profit corporation on Nov.19, 1974, with approximately 20 members, the Chamber now boasts slightly more than 550. The Chamber ranks as the 13th largest in the Valley, and fifth in size when measured by budget. The retention rate is more than 90 percent, ranking it among the highest in the state.

The Chamber marked significant events in 2008-09:

• Subcommittees rewrote the business signage ordinance which was approved by the town council.

• The 11th “Business Showcase” in October attracted an estimated 3,500 potential customers. Nearly 30 percent of the 73 exhibitors participated for the first time.

• The two Chamber-sponsored annual art festivals in November and February brought record crowds to the town and provided a major boost to the economy. Attendance for The Great Fair in February was estimated at 206,000 for three-days. The town’s population temporarily expanded by 220,000 to 223,000 during the 34th annual Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts in November.

• Oktoberfest and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations returned to Fountain Park. Community events, such as Parada de Los Cerros, the largest Thanksgiving Day parade west of the Mississippi; Stroll in the Glow on the Avenue of the Fountains, and the lighting of holiday luminarias, continued to entertain locals and visitors.

Dr. Matthew Hummel of Fountain Hills Family Practice and an investor in the town’s medical campus was selected 2008 Business Person of the Year. Carolyn Redendo and Mike Tyler tied for Advocate of the Year. Four Peaks Women’s Club, founded by Barb Hansen, was selected Not-for-Profit Organization of the Year.

Doug Schmidt of Legacy Asset Management moved into the position of board chair in July.  Vice chair is Linda Kavanagh, representing the Fountain Hills Historical Society. Secretary is Dwight Johnson of Four Peaks Community Church, and Joe Skehen of the Fountain Hills Republican Club serves as treasurer.

A 16-member and one ex-officio volunteer board of directors governs the Chamber. Its effectiveness depends on member support and involvement. Directors serve for three-year terms, with five members elected annually.

Frank Ferrara is president/CEO, and serves as a non-voting member of the board.  The Chamber staff as of May 2009 consists of Ferrara; Sharon Morgan, events producer; Judy Tekesky, office manager; Jean Yanish, data base administrator; Eleanor Bentson, Visitors Center manager; and Diane Cudzilo and Karen Goodwin, receptionists.

The Chamber office is located at the corner of Palisades Boulevard and Verde River Drive. Prominent is a visitors’ center where local, area and state tourism brochures promote an array of tourist activities, lodging and dining options.

More information about the Chamber is available by calling (480) 837-1654 or visiting the Web site, www.fountainhillschamber.com.

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Town continues pleasure in beauty, location and friendliness
By Doug Schmidt, Chair, Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

As the Town of Fountain Hills moves toward its 40th year, the community continues to enjoy the natural beauty, unique location and a citizenry committed to improving what can almost be construed as a perfect place to live.

As a father, husband and individual who has served as president of the Fountain Hills Community Theater, executive vice president of the Golden Eagle Foundation, vice president of the Shelley Cohen Foundation, executive board member of the Chamber of Commerce, committee chairperson of the Business Person of the Year and St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, I am now honored with the opportunity to serve our business community as the incoming Chamber of Commerce Chairperson for 2009/2010.

While there are a number of very important activities we need to carry forward from our past boards, the focus during my term will be to improve our local business atmosphere. We will work closely with the Town of Fountain Hills, our Town Council and our Fort McDowell neighbors to achieve our goals. Our collaborative efforts to work with the Swaback Group in our new visioning process illustrates the results of how far we can go by working together toward a common goal.

We will work closely with our cultural community, The Fountain Hills Community Theater, the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum, the Fountain Hills Artists Gallery and the many associations to implement cooperative marketing opportunities to promote all our businesses. Unique and fun marketing activities are on the drawing board to bring an even greater sense of community and achievement.

In the next several months as I serve my term as chair of the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce, we can all work together to enhance our heritage and support our vision for the future of our great town. Fountain Hills is a wonderful place to live, work and raise our children.

I am honored and humbled to have been elected to serve as chamber chair for the coming year. The opportunities we face in the next 12 months are challenging and exciting. We will work together, building on what so many have contributed in the past, while having the courage to accept the vision of others of what Fountain Hills could be in the future. 

Throughout the next 12 months as the chamber chair, I welcome your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Please call me at (480) 837-1736.

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Tourism a driving force in area

In the wake of a sour economy, the Fountain Hills/Fort McDowell Visitors Bureau has changed the way it does business.

Out of necessity due to limited funding, the bureau has scaled back national advertising to concentrate on “short-term, short-haul visitors,” said Mark McDermott, bureau director.

The bureau also is concentrating on “niche” tourists --- individuals who want to explore the Sonoran desert, gain exposure to Native American culture or view the expanding collection of public art throughout the town.

Funding for the bureau comes from the Town of Fountain Hills, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the State of Arizona Department of Tourism as well as Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce.

Online and emerging social media resources, such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs provide emerging technological outlets to spread the word about town events and businesses. Golf magazines, newsletters and virtual Web sites also are gaining more bureau attention to promote the town as a “destination place.”

Tourism ranks second among Arizona’s industries. Visitors pumped an estimated $103 million into the area and supported 950 jobs, according to a 2006 study commissioned by the Fountain Hills/Fort McDowell Visitors Bureau.

Visitors are more likely to spend their money on taxable goods and services, such as lodging, food and amusements than are residents.

While glimpses of economic recovery are occurring, the travel and hospitality industry has taken it on the chin for the last couple of years. Revenue is believed to have decreased by 15 percent to 20 percent in the last two years, said McDermott.     In Fountain Hills, 9.5 percent of all local tax receipts can be attributed to visitor spending.

The Chamber of Commerce maintains a calendar of events and features links to McDowell Mountain Regional Park and Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. A Visitors Bureau at the Chamber office distributes brochures on local, regional and state tourist attractions, accommodations and restaurants.

An advisory committee oversees the Visitors Bureau. Rand Hubbell, superintendent of McDowell Mountain Regional Park, is the current chairman.  The committee meets the first Wednesday of each month, usually alternating between the Chamber office and Fort McDowell.

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