Affiliate Chamber Spotlight: 2020 FuseDSM
Chamber Name + Website
FuseDSM
Elected leader for 2020
Randy Sackett, Chairman of the Board and Owner of Yellow Cab Co.
Professional Staff Leader of the Chamber
Trish Flaherty-Barnes, President/CEO
Number of Members
378 Members
How Does a Business Join Your Chamber?
An application can be filled out online at fusedsm.org. Please contact Trish Flaherty-Barnes to discuss how membership can benefit your business.
What Inspired You to First Get Involved with Your Chamber?
My various positions in sales and business development have always allowed me to belong to my local chamber of commerce. I did not just belong though, I jumped in with both feet and got involved. My business never failed to grow tremendously from the connections made via chamber opportunities. I have always been inspired and motivated by building a sense of community among residents, and I have a passion for helping businesses find their pain points to help them grow. FuseDSM was a perfect fit, with the combination of involved, invested residents and thriving businesses. It is truly a flourishing community to live, work and play.
What is a Signature Offering of Your Chamber?
We believe FuseDSM is more than a chamber, it is a fusing of the community and businesses in our footprint. That’s why in November of 2019, we rolled out our digital publication, FuseNews. The publication contains timely and relevant information from local Greater Des Moines (DSM) voices that range from large to small businesses and entrepreneurs alike, addressing the issues specific to our community. Check out the May 2020 issue that includes member spotlights, wine pairing tips and local food options within our large footprint.
What is Your Chamber’s Biggest Accomplishment in the Past 12 Months?
We’re very excited about the growth and success of FuseNews with a soft launch in Q4 of 2019. More than a chamber newsletter, FuseNews is a monthly interactive publication delivered to our entire chamber membership every month, and consumed far beyond that reach. Each edition lives permanently online, with interactive links from each spotlight. We accept community spotlight applications for FuseDSM through any of our social channels including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, as well as through the form on our website at fusedsm.org/fusenews.
What Initiative/Project Are You Looking Forward to in the Upcoming Year?
COVID-19 has changed the way businesses are doing business and it is no different for our chamber. We are continuing our efforts to offer more digital benefits of our chamber, such as FuseNews and our social channels. With the uncertainty of in-person events, we have rather quickly implemented initiatives to provide virtual networking, learning and social events for our members. In addition, we are finding more ways to reach out to support the mission by connecting the community and businesses. This includes our popular Facebook Group — Des Moines Food Options Amid COVID-19 — where community members are helping each other out with suggestions and promoting local commerce.
The crisis has brought about an awareness that we were missing the boat with so many potential members that might have been more involved had we had more options available to them. We live in a busy world and attending in-person events is not always feasible. We will also be pivoting to focus more on what we as a chamber can do to bring together the residents within the community to integrate more with the business community. Our chamber membership has a large number of businesses that are business-to-consumer. Our businesses want to connect with the residents within the community, not just other businesses. They want to support the community.
We also have a large manufacturing and industrial base. Those businesses want to be good corporate neighbors with many of their businesses sitting within residential neighborhoods. By fusing the community together and becoming a resource for not only the businesses within our community but also the residents, we will continue to be a valuable, viable resource for all within our footprint.
What Partnership Tools/Resources Have Been Most Beneficial to Your Chamber Members?
Our members find the most value in the Small Business Resources offered through the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
What Are Your Upcoming Events?
Our largest event of the year, TOSS – Taste of Something Spectacular had to be canceled for the year, but we are planning to move forward with our annual Fore! Golf Tournament on Friday, August 28 at Blank Golf Course. All guidelines set forth by local and state government will be taken into consideration for the execution of this event. Watch our chamber calendar and Facebook events for more virtual business and social opportunities from FuseDSM.
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.
Trish Flaherty-Barnes
Trish Flaherty-Barnes, President/CEO of FuseDSM, graduated from Drake University in 1993. With a passion for community, connecting people and helping businesses grow organically, leading FuseDSM is a natural fit for her. Currently, she is on the Board of Directors for Starts Right Here, an organization helping at-risk youth in our community.