Chamber unveils latest strategic plan

Every few years, the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce takes time to create a strategic plan, as members think about the future and how they can improve themselves and businesses throughout the city.

The chamber’s new five-year plan will prioritize improving the chamber’s service to members, assessing their needs, highlighting local businesses through social media and strengthening local relationships.

The chamber’s executive director, Karen Odle, said discussions about creating a new plan began around the start of 2019, and chamber leadership decided to wait until new board members were installed at the end of the year, allowing them input on the future of the chamber.

For the first time in its history, the chamber called in outside help to serve as a consultant for the strategic plan, utilizing Wicked Solutions, founded by Joe Sumners, the executive director emeritus of the Government & Economic Development Institute at Auburn University.

“I’m excited about it,” Odle said. “It will be good for us. It’s really good to get outside eyes on it.”

Odle said she enjoys people questioning her and making her think about how to grow and improve the chamber.

The 16-member committee met for two days at Vestavia Hills City Hall to come up with the plan and examined best practices as well as future goals, Odle said.

“I’m somebody that’s not afraid of change. In fact, I love change because it gives you a new challenge and a new way to approach things,” she said. “Our city is going through an incredible transformation right now.”

Odle said chamber members need to have a “laser focus” on what they are doing, and to refine their mission. While the chamber is the largest of its kind in the metro area, Odle said there are always ways to improve. One of those ways is by assessing the needs of chamber members and determining how the chamber can meet those needs. The chamber will take time to meet with its members and receive feedback.

The chamber will also draw up a new memorandum of understanding with the city, Odle said. While there shouldn’t be any major changes, it lays out the responsibilities of both the city, which recruits businesses, and the chamber, which prioritizes the retention of those businesses.

In the future, Odle also said she’d like to hire another staff member to specialize in handling chamber events because that takes up a large portion of her time. Currently, the chamber is highlighting more businesses through social media as well, using videos and photos to show the work of Vestavia businesses.

Odle said she will continue to encourage people to shop in Vestavia because local sales tax dollars help ensure the funding of important projects, such as road work, and people, such as first responders.

“It’s an educational process, an educational challenge,” she said.

In addition to encouraging people to shop locally, part of the plan calls on the city and chamber to encourage people to find jobs in the dining and hospitality industries. While the chamber does not have the resources to train employees in those fields, Odle said area colleges can, and it’s possible a partnership could be formed.

The low unemployment rate has made hiring a challenge across the board, which is a good problem to have, but still a problem, she said.

Over the next five years, Odle said she wants to see the chamber and Vestavia continue to expand its business base and continue to move the city forward.