2023 Affiliate Chamber Spotlight: Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Name + Website

Greater Newton Area Chamber

Elected leader for 2023

Tom Messinger, Superintendent of Newton Community School District

Professional Staff Leader of the Chamber

Amanda Price, Executive Director

Number of Members

180

How Does a Business Join Your Chamber?

We welcome all businesses, organizations and individuals to join! You can visit our website under the “Join” tab, email us at newtoniowachamber@gmail.com or call our office at (641) 792-5545.

What Inspired You to First Get Involved with Your Chamber?

I asked our Chamber Board Vice Chair Sarah Jorges for her perspective on this question and she shared that “having recently moved back to my hometown of Newton from out of state, as well as changing careers from healthcare to business, joining the Chamber was the best decision I could have made! I first joined a wonderful group of ambassadors and was amazed by how quickly I made connections. Networking with the Chamber not only significantly increased my prospect base but also allowed me to help others make valuable connections. Now, serving on the board of directors, the opportunity to work towards the betterment of our community is a great privilege!”

What is a Signature Offering of Your Chamber?

The Newton Chamber is in a unique position in our community because of our size. Collaboration is easy for us being a medium-sized community and is a must to provide support to our business community. We know that our fellow community organizations, whether that is Newton Development Corp, Newton Mainstreet or our school district, are all pieces of the puzzle that must work together to ensure success for our community. With these collaborations we find that we can offer creative solutions for our businesses while also strengthening our community.

What is Your Chamber’s Biggest Accomplishment in the Past 12 Months?

We have been working tirelessly with our community partners to bring fresh educational events and experiences to our community. We know that we must constantly keep communicating with our population in Newton as well as telling our story to our neighboring communities. We launched “Tour Newton” last year in the fall. It is a free tour of Newton on a comfortable bus with an entertaining MC who gives a little history of our community along with fun facts. Riders enjoy seeing our amenities such as our parks, schools, hospital and our new housing developments. Our goal with this event is to simply show off what we have to offer in Newton.

Growing our population is a major goal for all of us and working together is much more effective! Other events we have introduced include “Coffee and Connect.” This is where we meet at a local coffee shop and offer up a specific topic with an expert who can answer questions, explain the topic and have an informal interactive chat with our businesses and organizations. Collaboration is a common thread for us this past year and we are proud of how much of a difference we are making in our community.

What Initiative/Project Are You Looking Forward to in the Upcoming Year?

Growing our Student Ambassador Program is what I am most looking forward to. With workforce shortages plaguing all of us, we wanted to help solve this issue. One way to do this is to get our local students involved and educate them on our local businesses. Each month two students join our Chamber Ambassadors on their business visits, and they get to tour our local businesses. With each tour, the students can see the inner workings of these establishments, ask questions, learn more about what education is takes or skills might be required. We are hoping to set both the student and business up for future success. We want them to know that Newton has much to offer in many different industries, skills and trades and that you don’t have to go far to find a home here.

What Partnership Tools/Resources Have Been Most Beneficial to Your Chamber Members?

The “Top Five” series is helpful to our members. It provides great tips, tricks and industry knowledge on relevant topics. The Partnership makes it easy to utilize by offering these as online webinars/networking events, which our membership appreciates as everybody’s time is limited!

What Are Your Upcoming Events?

Monthly Networking is offered once a month on the second Thursday of each month for either breakfast, lunch or after-hours. It is hosted by a different member business each month and provides opportunities for relationship building, education and fun. It is open to all current Chamber members.

The Lighted Holiday Festival and Courthouse Lighting will take place on Friday, Nov. 24 from 5:30 – 8 p.m. in Downtown Newton. Enjoy horse and carriage rides, caroling, lighted displays, visit Santa and countdown with us as we light the Jasper County Courthouse – known as the largest lighted Christmas Tree around!

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the fourth largest regional Chamber of Commerce in the nation. Learn more about Partnership Affiliate Chambers, browse the Membership Directory and read additional Affiliate Chamber spotlights.