Affiliate Chamber Spotlight: 2021 Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce
Chamber Name + Website
Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce
Elected Leader for 2021
Clinton Webster, board chair
Amanda Price, executive director
Kayla Singletary, administrative assistant
Number of Members
186 Members
How Does a Business Join Your Chamber?
Businesses and organizations can join the Chamber through either our website application under our “Join” tab OR simply call us at (641) 792-5545 or email us at info@experiencenewton.com.
What Inspired You to First Get Involved with Your Chamber?
The Newton Chamber seemed like the best opportunity to get in front of other local business owners, City staff and Council members and other like-minded individuals who care about the community.
What is a Signature Offering of Your Chamber?
The last 12 months have been a complete re-branding of the Chamber in which many offerings to members are currently being analyzed and assessed to ensure maximum value to members. The major subjects that the Chamber categorizes all decisions around are “Community,” “Business 2 Business” and “Government”. Through the re-branding efforts, the Chamber is keeping focus on ensuring that members are getting exclusive access to the “Who’s Who” of Newton business and being kept informed on what is going on from our local, state and federal level of government and how that affects the member’s businesses. Most importantly, though, we are trying to get the Chamber members connected to the community more than just having a business in town. The impact and connection with the public is what we feel will drive more business and therefore more growth. Our hope is that this concept is what will prove to be our biggest offer to members.
What is Your Chamber’s Biggest Accomplishment in the Past 12 Months?
We have started three committees: Finance Committee, which has been looking into long-term investment strategies to sustain the future of the Chamber; Membership Committee, which has created a roadmap for the Chamber to follow into the future as well as established a new due structure and reassessed the value that the Chamber provides; and the Spirit Committee, which spends their time working on the fine details of planning the events that the Chamber holds each year. We are currently in the process of revitalizing the Young Professionals program in Newton.
What Initiative/Project Are You Looking Forward to in the Upcoming Year?
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We have created a new social media plan for the upcoming year, which will allow us to reconnect with businesses and check in with them. We rolled out a “Member Spotlight” series this month, which will feature various Newton Chamber members monthly on our Facebook and Instagram pages along with a photograph and graphic. In addition, we will post “Chamber Connections” on a quarterly basis to share testimonies from our members. The testimonies will include the benefits of networking with fellow members and showcase why being a Chamber member in our community can produce long lasting relationships that can further business endeavors. We are also beginning our Youth Ambassador Program which will hopefully be the start of an on-going program to connect the High School youth with our Chamber Ambassadors and give them an opportunity to see what jobs and careers are available in their backyard. Chamber staff has been working with the Superintendent and Principal to get this program off the ground.
What Partnership Tools/Resources Have Been Most Beneficial to Your Chamber Members?
All educational events that further the development of our businesses especially those where our members can gather and ask questions and seek advice of other regional members to help them solve common problems.
What Are Your Upcoming Events?
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.
Clinton Webster
Clinton Webster is married to his beautiful wife Yvette and they have a two-year-old sidekick named Everest. The couple owns a wedding venue in Runnells, a retail floral shop in Newton and coming in November 2021 to Newton, Iowa, The Thunderdome - Extreme Playground.