In this episode of Chamber On!, host Matt Appenzeller, President and CEO of the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance (SOCA), sits down with Wendy Rodgers, President & CEO of the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce.
We find out how Wendy used a “listening tour” to reset the chamber’s direction coming out of the pandemic, the creative ways the Beavercreek chamber is helping small businesses tell their stories (including a member-ready multimedia studio!), and the big vision behind a brand-new Business Success & Event Center designed to bring people together and strengthen the entire community. Wendy's leadership is a shining example of what it means for today's chambers to be a lighthouse for the community, rather than a lamppost. Tune in now!
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Matt Appenzeller
Hello and welcome to the Chamber On podcast, the go to podcast for small employers and local Chambers of Commerce in Ohio. I'm your host Matt Appenzeller, President and CEO of the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance, more commonly known as SOCA. We're an alliance of 130 Chambers of Commerce in Ohio, and today we have a very special guest, the President and CEO of the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce, Wendy Rodgers. Wendy, thanks for being on the show.
Wendy Rodgers
Matt, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here today. It's not very often that I get to be a guest on a podcast.
Matt Appenzeller
I know, right? So let's jump right into that like so you even have your own studio right, right in the office there.
Wendy Rodgers
We do we, as we were coming out of covid, you know, that terrible time when all our small businesses and everybody needed to go to the digital side of things. Small Businesses didn't understand how to create that content, nor did they have the equipment and the money to be able to provide that. So that was something that we looked at doing, and I thought was a necessity. And we were very lucky, because during that time, too, our county had some ARPA grants that were available. I have never written a grant in my life, Matt and the first and there. And the first one was a federal grant, which, if you've written them, you know, those are the worst ones, but you know, if you don't try it, you're not going to succeed. So I went ahead and did that. We got the funds, and we were able to create our own multimedia studio, where we have 4k video cameras for creating social media or video content, and of course, our wonderful podcasting studio, where we have everything there for The Link, which is what we publish on a weekly basis. So very excited to be able to offer those tools to our members.
Matt Appenzeller
And your members can actually come in and use the facility for themselves.
Wendy Rodgers
They sure can, we encourage that. We also, it's also open to the community as well, but it's a great place. We made everything plug and play as easy as possible, including lighting already preset. So all you really need to create content in our studio is an SD card and an idea.
Matt Appenzeller
That's awesome.
Wendy Rodgers
Yeah, we love it.
Matt Appenzeller
Very cool, very cool benefit to have, right, right? I mean, so let's jump like, you know, one of the things that I always liked about chamber work is every employer has a story out there, and you get to be part of that storytelling, and now you have, like, tools, right? So what kind of feedback are you getting from employers who have used, use the studio or been on the podcast?
Wendy Rodgers
Sure, we've gotten great feedback from it, because we try to make it, you know, informative but fun at the same time. And so we'll not only talk about the business, but we'll kind of get to know our person who's our guest you know a little bit more about, maybe their family or their hobbies. And let me tell you, there have been some amazing stories that have come out of that. And just as you're as you're talking about their business, they might mention, oh, and by the way, you know, we have this back room that you can use to, you know, you can rent for parties or conferences. And I'll be like, wait a minute. I didn't know anything about that, where's that, tell me, right? So it gives us some more information on just being able to help our businesses and our employers, you know, get that additional
Matt Appenzeller
That's very cool.
Wendy Rodgers
Yeah, so it's been pretty awesome, and it's been a lot of fun. We're almost on, I think, 123 episodes, and we've been booked with guests every single week this year. So it's been pretty amazing.
Matt Appenzeller
That's very cool. Yeah. How long have you been the President out there?
Wendy Rodgers
President, CEO, just a little over four years now, jumped in, right coming out of covid, which was the best time ever to come.
Matt Appenzeller
Yes, best time ever for everything, but especially for the I mean, people are looking to the Chamber. Let's talk about that for a second. So covid happens? Everybody looks to their local Chamber of Commerce for information. You're brand new Wendy, tell us about that.
Wendy Rodgers
So it was interesting, because I came in and I had had a background with the chamber, obviously using it with my own small business, but then also being the board chair. So when we came in, the entire team was gone, so I had to create a new team, and then I had to figure it out. And really it was, we went on a listening tour. That was the first thing I did as a new chamber executive. And I went to our members, and I said, here I am, what's going on? What can we do for you? And I just wanted to hear and listen to their feedback, and we took all of that information, and that's where we came up with the change in direction for the chamber. We learned what we needed to get back to. We needed to learn what we were missing, and part of that, too, was the studio and just those different types of uses that folks needed, and discounts and savings plans, of course, especially coming out of covid and then the marketing side of things. So that's how we redeveloped our chamber, and that's how we put a lot of our plans into place, was just by listening to our members.
Matt Appenzeller
So what are you know out of all that you know, how is the Beavercreek chamber, like actively engaging and supporting local business, just given the situation, sure, right?
Wendy Rodgers
Well, I think we're pretty awesome, of course, of course. And we've been growing and growing all year. It's really been amazing to see the changes from the beginning to where we are now, four and a half years later. But we have a lot that we offer. We offer a lot of different size networking opportunities too, at various times during the day, which seems to be wonderful for our folks. We have an amazing program we do every Thursday morning, 8 to 9am Coffee with Champions. We've got a group that comes in for that, which is like 20 to 30 people every week. It's leadership, personal growth, it's scenarios, business scenarios, and it's just an amazing group of people that come in and out of there from all different backgrounds and positions and jobs, and some are retired. We've got, you know, city leaders, we've got all kinds of great people, and the ideas and the collaboration has been absolutely amazing. You know, we go from that, we have a lunch local program too, because our restaurants were hit really hard and are still being hit really hard. So we kind of flash mob a restaurant. They do know we're coming, and we have about we've had up to 35 to 40 people come to that event, and it simply is supporting that restaurant. We order off the menu. There is no agenda. But as we all know, sometimes the best connections are made over breaking bread. I mean just having great conversations with no agenda and getting to know each other. So that's been incredible and we help make that restaurant stay by increasing their revenue and their dollars and hopefully getting people to come back in, you know, as repeat customers, and sharing their experience with others. And then, of course, we have our business links, which is our monthly, bigger networking event that's at a different location every month. That's exciting. We get about 40 to 50 people, sometimes more, and our host gets to kind of show off their location and their business and kind of put that foot forward. And that's wonderful too. And depending upon where we are, we try to move all the way around Beavercreek and outside Beavercreek, because we are a chamber that is inclusive and is outside just the city. And it's been wonderful. And depending upon where we are and kind of what side of town or where we go, brings in a different group as well. So we try to make it so that everybody has the opportunity to be involved.
Matt Appenzeller
Yeah, bringing people together.
Wendy Rodgers
That's correct. It's huge.
Matt Appenzeller
It is huge. It is huge.
Wendy Rodgers
And, you know, all the stuff about AI that's scary, and I know that's a big topic, and I've been reading a lot about it, and do use AI tools, but it was really interesting, because one of the big things that was just talked about is, you know, machines, they can't bring compassion. They'll never be able to bring compassion. And even though we might have all these amazing tools that can help us move forward with technology, they're never going to replace human interaction. So that human connection and bringing people together is never going to go away, and that is going to become even more and more important as we go.
Matt Appenzeller
I heard the same thing at a presentation a couple of weeks ago. You know, you know, AI doesn't have empathy, same thing, right? So, absolutely. So let's talk about, you know, let's talk about Beavercreek. So what would you say are, like, a couple of the biggest challenges that you have, and then also maybe some of the biggest opportunities that you have, as well.
Wendy Rodgers
As far as through the chamber, or what the city's got going on?
Matt Appenzeller
Just the area.
Wendy Rodgers
So the area, we're very blessed in Beavercreek. It's the largest city in Greene County, and it has a lot going on. We've got two malls, of course. We've got the Fairfield Mall. We have the Greene and being in close proximity with the base. We have a lot of technology, defense contractors, all those things, and the base being the largest employer in Ohio is right there. So every three years you have turnover. You've got new people coming in and going out. Beavercreek can offer just about anything that a big, bigger city can, especially a great proximity, an hour out of Columbus, an hour out of Cincinnati, all those great things. So with as far as businesses coming in, we're continuing to grow. And even though some businesses may close, which we always hate to see, I mean small businesses or restaurants kind of come in and out, we've got two or three more behind them coming in. So Beavercreek is continuing to grow and flourish, not only on the small business and business side, but also on residential so it's still continuing to build out, even on into Beavercreek Township. So there's a lot of opportunities for continued development and business support that I don't think is ever going to go away.
Matt Appenzeller
Yeah, I agree with that. It's good. Great area. Great area. So what about with the chamber, though? What are your challenges and maybe opportunities there?
Wendy Rodgers
So one of the big things that we're doing, well, it started this year and it'll go into next year, is we're expanding
Matt Appenzeller
Expanding the workforce or expanding the building?
Wendy Rodgers
All of that.
Matt Appenzeller
Yes, yes,all of the above.
Wendy Rodgers
Yes, Matt, all of that. So we're excited. We're housed in a great building that's about 2500 to 3000 Square feet, which is great, but our main conference room only seats about 25 just with our coffee with champions, we're exceeding the space, and unfortunately, parking is for 12, so that's a big issue, and there's nowhere to grow or expand where we're currently located. So we've been very blessed, and we have found a place. We've reached out to membership, we've done surveys, and our members have said, we want, we want you to have a facility that brings in more people, where you can host more of your events at your own location, where you can invite the community in and the county, and we can utilize that space. And we also need a great space for businesses to collaborate. So we are going to be creating a business success and Event Center. And so we're going from our 2500 to 3000 square feet to 12,000. So it's a huge jump. It's kind of scary and terrifying a lot, Matt, but I have a lot of amazing partners that are helping me with that, luckily. And so we'll have a success center side, which will be offices, which will be co-sharing. It'll be you can rent them permanently. You can rent. We'll have a couple that can be rented by the hour or for short term. The chamber will be in there. There will be a conference room that'll seat up to 25 in that area too. For the Business Success Center tenants, we're hoping to have open collaboration and just really be able to support our small businesses that maybe can't afford or don't have somewhere where they can just get an office, but still have that collaboration and people to be able to network with. So that's going to be one portion of that space, and then the other side will be a conference center, and we'll be able to seat up to 300 people in that conference center with a small catering kitchen. So one of the things that has come out of Beavercreek, it seems like we have so many big things and we have so many hotels, but there's not conference space up to 300 they end at like maybe 200 and that might be one of our hotels, and that's it. So we'll be able to actually seat up to 300 people. We'll have a small catering kitchen available for those folks to be able to cater food and have them come in. We have a promenade area that will go down the entire side of that space where our studio will be, so everybody will get a chance to see our studio, which will be formulated more towards the podcasting side. And there'll be breakout spaces so people can just come in, you know, hook up to the Wi Fi and relax. They can meet clients there, whatever the case may be, we can have some great cocktail hours there, you know, all that fun stuff. We even have a member that may be coming in to do a coffee bar for us. So we have all of that. We have tons of parking. Actually, the whole facility can park up 600 cars, and we have dedicated green space outside, which is huge, so that we can help facilitate those community events or anything that we might want to do during the summer time, and be able to kind of create more of a community feel too with our businesses. Something that Beavercreek doesn't have is we don't have a downtown, so we don't have a place for everybody to gather and come together, and as we were just talking about, it's going to be more and more important for that and a great way to bring other businesses into town, utilize our services and keep our community growing.
Matt Appenzeller
I think it's a good opportunity. You know, Steve Stivers, at the Ohio Chamber always uses this term. He says, you know the chamber needs to use its convening authority. And now that you have a space, you know, you can, you can exercise, you know, some of that authority.
Wendy Rodgers
We can, and we're excited, and some of the other folks that are out in that area are excited for us to be there. So we're going to be bringing in a lot more opportunities for folks. And we're just, we're thrilled to be able to offer, and we're blessed to be able to have found this space, because in Beavercreek, that is very difficult to do. So it is, it is. So we're super excited about being able to support our businesses and our community in a big way.
Matt Appenzeller
Very cool. So you got that going on. What would you say are some of the future goals for the Beavercreek chamber, maybe in the next three to five years?
Wendy Rodgers
So it'll be supporting all of that, of course, which is, you know, it's not going to happen overnight. We do have the ability that, if it does happen overnight, we have another 7000 square feet we could expand into so that's an exciting opportunity, but I think it's going to be reimagining things a little bit more, even further than what we have, and bringing more of those networking and personal leadership and growth opportunities together, versus sometimes the educational side. It seems like nowadays, especially with AI and different things, information is at your fingertips. You can find it in two seconds online, right, right? So that seems to be, at least for us, that that's not as needed or as wanted, because it's so readily available somewhere else and in the comfort of your home. So we've reimagined some of that with what we call our Business Boost, which is a monthly Zoom. And I hate Zoom. I'm going to say it out loud, I can't stand it, but so many people still utilize it, and it does make it very convenient for folks to be able to tune in. So we have members doing that every month that talk about a topic that might be relevant to our small businesses. They come in, they can get a Zoom link if they pre register, otherwise. We also take that business boost, and we're live streaming it on Facebook. So we do get a lot of people on Facebook that'll watch it, and we screen record it so we can host it on our YouTube channel and then send that link out through our social media.
Matt Appenzeller
That's very cool. That's a good way to connect people.
Wendy Rodgers
Yes, yes.
Matt Appenzeller
So okay, so just from observing you and talking with you and knowing you as I have for the last four years, you do a really good job of finding ways for people to connect, and that's kind of coming through in this conversation here. But what are some of the other benefits that, like, why should I join the Beavercreek chamber if I'm a new business there? Like, other than helping me to connect with other people, why should I join?
Wendy Rodgers
Well, connecting is huge, right? And it's getting in the referrals from us. So sometimes business will come in and we offer a new business strategy session too, where we can talk to you about a startup and give you those connections to kind of guide you with what you need to do next. But as you know, cold calling is hard. But if you come into the chamber and you say, hey, I really need special accounting, right? And I can be like, well, listen, we have a great member that I can hook you up with that I'll do an introductory email or a phone call, right? So it's coming from me, and that's going to make that connection not cold anymore. In fact, we had a gentleman that stopped in just earlier this week that's a new startup, and he needed specific insurance requirements for a project that he was bidding. And he said, that's, that's the first thing I need. I'll come back for everything else. Well, I was able to give him that connection right there. He called the connection as we were speaking, and the connection, knowing where it came from, and knowing that the Beavercreek chamber said, come on over in five minutes. And he was able to go right over and get the situation completely
handled.
Matt Appenzeller
Chamber just has, you just, you know, the local chamber has credibility that right people do not have that is correct, right? So, that's cool. So by the way, cold calling, I was always taught that cold calling is God's punishment for people who don't get referrals.
Wendy Rodgers
That's right. Man, I hate it. I'm never doing it. I don't want to cold call anybody. That's terrible.
Matt Appenzeller
That's right. So they need a referral from the chamber. That's cool. As far as advocacy goes at the local level, I know it can be sometimes challenging for local chambers, but what are you doing in that space for members?
Wendy Rodgers
So what we do for that, we're not a big like statewide advocacy. We don't have lobbyists that that's your regional chambers, that we kind of let handle that side of things, but we do stay on top of all of that and put all the information out that could affect our small businesses and make sure we're part of it. What we do is more on the local side. For example, we had a member that was pretty much down the street from us, and there's going to be a change in the intersection and the traffic light right there that was going to possibly impact their business during a really peak time for them and people getting into it and being able to park so use my connections with the city. Of course, had the city come out and the engineering come out. We sat down with the client and with myself, so I could understand it, too. If there were others that needed to help, brought out the blueprints, made some suggestions that they're taking in, have the timeline set out, and they even agreed to try to start the project either before or after their busy season.
Matt Appenzeller
You can't get that kind of thing at the state level.
Wendy Rodgers
You can’t, you can't. So we do that, and I have a great relationship with our city and our township. I mean, I've been involved in the plan Beavercreek steering committee ,so to help support our businesses and our future of our city, as well as the land use planning for the Beavercreek Township.
Matt Appenzeller
Very cool.
Wendy Rodgers
Yeah, yeah. I love it.
Matt Appenzeller
So I want to ask you just a few questions, just about you and leadership. So what would you say, what would you would you say are the qualities that have helped you most as a chamber leader? Because you, as you know, like the Chamber leader, you were like a gazillion different hats. It's like this quasi private, public position, you know, you can barely go to the grocery store without somebody asking you a question. So what are the qualities that have helped you most?
Wendy Rodgers
So I think, from what I'm told, I am a great connector. So, I mean, I love people. I'm very authentic. I mean, I'm authentic. Transparent is big, like you're listening to me right now. This is what you get. Yeah, there. There's no difference whether that is it, Matt, that's it. And so I take that. But, you know, I love my people, and I want to help them genuinely, like I came into this job because it was a passion of mine, and I felt it. I never would have guessed, you know, 10, 15, years ago, that I would ever be in the chamber world, in my life. But it brought me here, and I love what I do, and I just want to help other people be as successful as the chamber did for me. It's as simple as that, and it's as simple as making those friends and making those connections authentically and being really self aware. I think self awareness, I know what my weaknesses are. I know what my strengths are, and it's building your team or your people around you that can compliment or fill in some of those. So it's, it's all of those things really that combined and and being able to have a vision, I think, as a leader, you're the visionary. You're the one that needs to look towards the future. Where are we going, right? How are we going to get there? And, you know, the success center that we're creating now, four years later, was my vision. Before I even started, I was talking to a coach, and he said, If you could do anything, what would it be? And I and it was basically, it was the Business Success Center. I was like, if I didn't have to worry about money, I'd have this big building, and I'd be able to do all these great things. And then as we've gone along, we've completed pieces of that, and now we're coming to where we're actually going to build the whole thing. And that's pretty amazing.
Matt Appenzeller
That's very cool. Yeah, so you know that we talk a lot about, you know the difference between being a lamp post and a lighthouse.
Wendy Rodgers
That’s right. I want to be a lighthouse shining brightly.
Matt Appenzeller
And the Business Success Center sounds like a good example of of the Beavercreek chamber being a lighthouse for the community, like you don't want to necessarily be in the spotlight as much as you want to be the spotlight,
right?
Wendy Rodgers
Right. I just want to be able to give back to our members and our community. I it's not, I don't do anything for me. It's not for Wendy Rodgers. It's for Beavercreek and it's for our membership. You know, I'm the background. I'm just facilitating it and making it happen. And I just want, I just want to see great things happen for us.
Matt Appenzeller
So for chamber leaders out there who are just starting, what would you say to them, like, if you could give them, you know, two good pieces of advice. What would they be?
Wendy Rodgers
Well, if you're just starting, I would for sure, say, do something like what we did with the listening tour. If you're brand new and you don't really know what folks need in the chamber, or you just don't have a great connection with them yet, or maybe a lot have kind of fallen off because there hasn't been a lot going on in your chamber. Go talk to them. I mean, visit them. Don't just send an email, go set up an appointment, and go face to face, introduce yourself, talk about your vision, create that vision, and then actually listen to what they have to say and take that to heart, because that's why they're a member. They're asking you to help provide X, Y and Z, and I think it's your responsibility to listen and try to put that into play. So that's the biggest thing. Is to go and talk to your membership. Have them get to know who you are, and you get to know who they are and what their needs are.
Matt Appenzeller
Very cool, very cool. Well, I have one more very important question for you.
Wendy Rodgers
Okay, oh, I'm ready.
Matt Appenzeller
I know you've been studying right here for this one. Okay, well, Wendy, you've been a great guest, by the way. Thank you so much, and thank you for sharing what you're doing in Beavercreek. I think the Business Success Center is really a great story, not only for the community, but also for the chamber.
Wendy Rodgers
Thank you.
Matt Appenzeller
Congratulations.
Wendy Rodgers
Thank you. It's my pleasure to be here today, Matt.
Matt Appenzeller
But I do have to ask you the question.
Wendy Rodgers
Okay, let's hear it.
Matt Appenzeller
So Wendy, who's the greatest rock and roll band of all time? Is it the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin?
Wendy Rodgers
So I really thought about this question, and I have to go with the Rolling Stones, and there's a reason for that.
Matt Appenzeller
Okay, okay, let’s hear it.
Wendy Rodgers
Mick Jagger there. But I was thinking about it, I was looking at the three bands. I was like, oh my gosh, I had this memory when I was, like, 12 years old, don't now you're gonna figure out how old I am. So try not to! My favorite album, and I actually could visualize it, was Tattoo You by the Rolling Stones? And I was like, well, that answers that question. There it is. Rolling Stones, number one in my
book.
Matt Appenzeller
You know what it's, it's, you can make a compelling argument for all three.
Wendy Rodgers
You can.
Matt Appenzeller
And The Rolling Stones is a great answer, so I can't argue with you there.
Wendy Rodgers
Perfect.
Matt Appenzeller
So Wendy Rogers from the Beavercreek Chamber, thank you once again for being on the chamber on podcast, and thanks to all the listeners out there. We hope to catch you next time on the Chamber On podcast. And in the meantime, Chamber On!