Shane Walsh
Two new board members were elected at last week’s Te Awamutu Business Chamber’s annual meeting where chief Shane Walsh outlined the organisation’s key priority for the year ahead.
He wants to grow membership and hopes the addition of James Clark and new treasurer Megan Port will help him do that.
Clark, owner operator of Fresh Choice supermarket, was a major winner in the Waipā Networks Business Awards in April while Port
is the owner of Ruby Red Photography.
Walsh urged chamber members to help with his aspiration.
“If we all encourage just one other business to join, it would make a significant difference. Te Awamutu deserves a great business chamber,” he told the meeting.
Walsh also outlined highlights from the last 12 months among the more than 20 events, gatherings and initiatives he said the chamber had organised.
The results of the Who Are We Te Awamutu survey, which more than 700 people completed, had become the organisation’s “compass”, he said.
Shane Walsh.
“By understanding how residents perceive the Te Awamutu brand, it will help us work on the areas that need improving.”
He said the results highlighted the need for a wider range of shops in the town centre.
The main recommendations from the survey, which the chamber had since been focusing on, were improving Alexandra St and creating community space for more events.
A possible revamp of Holmes Garage and work on creating a Business Improvement District were two key projects.
Walsh said he was also proud of several key initiatives the chamber had worked on in the past year– including Black Friday
Blowout.
Looking ahead the aim was to “maintain momentum” while continuing to focus on the future.
The chamber is also working with Te Awamutu Genealogy Society on a book looking at the history of 32 main street buildings.
