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Michele Burgess, president of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss her new position and vision for the organization.

Beginning her third term as the head of the chamber, Burgess’ first official day serving under the title of “president” was July 22, 2019. She previously served as executive director from 1982-88 and 1995-99.

Burgess succeeded Vanessa Jones, who served as interim president in the months following former president John Barnes’ resignation earlier this year.

In discussing her local connections, Burgess said she is excited the chamber’s board chose a Henderson native as their leader.

“I live in Vance County and I love Henderson,” Burgess said. “I love where I live. This is my hometown and I’m proud of it.”

For her first task, Burgess said she and chamber staff will be focusing on membership. “We are going to look at who is a member and who is not a member. We want to reach out to those who maybe couldn’t afford the membership dues when they first opened but are a little more established now and could benefit from our services.”

As far as current members, Burgess said she wants to introduce herself, or in some cases reintroduce herself, encourage continued community involvement and to set the tone for her “hands-on approach” to the chamber’s mission.

Burgess believes, much as she did in her previous chamber roles, that the key to growing the community is to think outside of the box and get creative with strategies to help small businesses. “A large majority of our members are small businesses with 50 or less, and many with 20 or less, employees,” she explained.

Acknowledging that attending popular chamber events such as Business After Hours, Meet Me in the Street and various networking sessions aren’t feasible for all business owners, Burgess said the question then becomes, “What can we do to help you?”

Some of the ways the chamber can help small businesses, according to Burgess, include offering relevant training for employees and advocating for their particular industry.

“We [the chamber] can do that,” Burgess reiterated. “We are an organization that serves businesses; it’s all about building businesses. The chamber is all about relationships.”

Further emphasizing the importance of relationships, Burgess explained the connections that are often made at H-V Chamber-sponsored events serve business leaders and their staff well in the future.

“You do business with people that you like and trust,” Burgess said. “The way to do this is to be involved in your community, and especially to be involved with your chamber.”

To hear Burgess’ Town Talk interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.