Urban Chamber meeting gathers ideas for initiatives

A roundtable of more than 100 businesspeople might not sound like the best place to find consensus.

But there it was Thursday -- broad agreement on how the Urban Chamber of Commerce could help its 350 members maneuver a still-struggling economy.

The chamber, which is headquartered in West Las Vegas but serves members from across the Las Vegas Valley, partnered with local employee training and placement group Workforce Connections to get feedback from members on services they need not only to stay open, but to expand.

"Small businesses know what their obstacles and opportunities are, but sometimes it's difficult for them to identify resources that will help their business grow," said Cornelius Eason, director of regional strategy for Workforce Connections and a former chairman of the Urban Chamber. "What would happen if we put together a critical mass of opportunities and started to talk to individual businesses about how to survive in this economy?"

What happened at the forum inside the Culinary Training Academy was a lot of brainstorming, some impromptu business marketing and loads of networking.

First, the brainstorming: Attendees tossed out more than a dozen ideas on possible programs the chamber could launch, from mixers to business marketplaces to seminars on finance, corporate law and social networking. As entrepreneurs gave suggestions, chamber interns scribbled the ideas on large pieces of paper posted at the front of the conference room.

Amid the session, business owners got the word out about their companies, telling the crowd how they could help in areas ranging from employee recruitment to Internet marketing.

Attendees also swapped business cards and phone numbers. Gov. Brian Sandoval's community relations director, Terri Janison, was on hand with names and numbers of state officials who could help with business development. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., sent a representative, and city of Henderson Councilwoman Gerri Schroder, a member of the Urban Chamber, participated in the discussion as well.

The roundtable won't benefit chamber members alone, said Jerrie Merritt, the chamber's vice president. It'll also help the chamber understand how better to serve its membership, which has declined about 20 percent in the recession as businesses closed or decided they could no longer afford the annual dues, which start at around $200.

"Ultimately, the tangible thing we will walk away with is the ability to put on workshops, mixers or classes to bring value to small businesses so they can accomplish their goals," Merritt said.

Thursday's event was the first in a series of three Urban Chamber forums. The next is planned for Aug. 19, and the final roundtable is scheduled for mid-September.

Eason said chamber officials would spend the next month working on a format and strategy for upcoming sessions. Finding the right approach could make a big difference for the overall economy, he said.

"What is going to bring the economy back is small business," Eason said. "The attorney who picks up a client, the restaurant that picks up another 20 meals, the insurance agent who picks up 10 customers -- they hire people to handle the new business. That's where the jobs are."

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.