Ambassadors play vital role in Holmes Chamber success

For the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, there’s more to the staff than meets the eye, thanks to a handful of volunteers who have made a commitment to serve the chamber in any way they can.

On Monday, July 7, the members of the Holmes County Chamber Ambassadors got an inside look at Keim, where Phil Tieszen, executive director of sales and marketing, took them on a tour of the enormous facility, giving them an inside look into how the business operates.

The Holmes County Chamber Ambassadors is a group of volunteers who have made a commitment to serving the chamber in many different ways.

Because the chamber consists of only several full-time people, it is a challenge to put on some of the major events the chamber hosts, from its annual banquet, golf outing and clay shoot to the Berlin Harvest Festival Parade and more.

The ambassadors help provide the teamwork to help each function roll along smoothly.

Michaela Miller, community relations administrator for the chamber, said these types of field trips take place once every month for the ambassadors and are an important part of the team members gaining insight into what makes Holmes County’s economic landscape tick.

Miller said the purpose is to help educate the ambassadors on the variety of businesses in Holmes County and the people who make each chamber business member successful.

“We enjoy giving monthly tours of the businesses of our various chamber members,” Miller said. “Most of our visits so far this year have been recommended by our ambassadors. We asked them what they’d like to see, and they’ve given us some really great options like Keim.

“So often we have these incredible companies and organizations right here in our own backyard, and we don’t really know everything that happens in each of them.”

She said each trip allows the ambassadors to ask questions from the professionals who guide them through the tours.

“It’s just about getting more involved with the members of our community,” Miller said.

Other examples of businesses the ambassador group has visited include Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, ProVia, Maven and the newly developed Legacy Point Park.

It has given the ambassadors a better idea of the many businesses, organizations and attractions Holmes County offers.

“It’s a fun part of our program because it does give us a chance to get out of the office and explore Holmes County,” Miller said. “This is our county, our community and our people, and it’s really neat to see the people behind the scenes in some of these place and their passion and knowledge coming out as they share with the group.”

The ambassador program began several years ago under Taylor Sigler, who now serves as Historic Downtown Millersburg director. The program has since continued to gain steam, and the members have continued to play a pivotal role in the chamber’s success.

There is even an awards ceremony presented at each annual chamber banquet in which an honor is bestowed upon the ambassadors who have devoted the most hours to serving the chamber in their volunteer role.

According to Miller, the feedback the chamber has received from the ambassadors for this part of the ambassador program has been fantastic.

“They are excited to experience all that Holmes County has to offer,” Miller said, adding Leadership Holmes County also has taken these types of countywide trips to heart as part of its experience.

This all adds up to creating a group of volunteers who serve as an extension of the chamber staff.

Miller said their involvement includes tasks such as taking reservations and checking people into events, doing setup and teardown work for events, taking photographs, helping with ribbon cuttings, and a big one that occurred last year was delivering all the supplies for the chamber’s Shop Local event.

“Our ambassadors are a huge help. We couldn’t be able to do the many events we do without their help because we don’t have a big staff,” Miller said. “They’ve been very faithful in fulfilling a lot of key roles, so we are very grateful for their work and effort in supporting the chamber.”

Anyone who would like to know more about becoming a chamber ambassador may call Miller at 330-674-3975.