GRAVETTE -- Members of the Greater Gravette Chamber of Commerce held their regular meeting Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Chamber office, 105 Main Street S.E. This was only the second meeting in the Chamber's new location.
Chamber treasurer Sundee Hendren welcomed members and guests and presented the monthly financial report. She welcomed new members of the Martinez Agency and The Job Guide and named several renewed members, then introduced new Chamber vice-president Maggie McKenzie. McKenzie gave a brief recap of her background and spoke of her commitment to Gravette. She is a graduate of Gravette High School and now works in communication and marketing at Ozarks Community Hospital.
Other speakers included Ruby Jackson, who spoke of improvements on Main Street; Joey Cannon, who said he felt the Christmas parade and Hometown Christmas on Main celebration brought more customers to area businesses; and Jim Singleton, who said Arvest Bank has a merchant services representative who would give a presentation on small business fraud. The Arvest representative has been scheduled as a speaker for the April 19 Chamber meeting.
Mayor Kurt Maddox attended and gave Chamber members a recap of the state of the city address he had delivered Tuesday evening at the meeting of the city council committee of the whole.
Representatives of three featured businesses were introduced and gave brief presentations about their businesses, their backgrounds and future plans.
Marty Fordham, program director for Blueline Martial Arts, said he has been in Northwest Arkansas since 2014. The martial arts studio is leasing space in the building just east of the Gravette Gym and has 25 students who attend classes on Monday through Thursday evenings. A new class for adults has three students. He emphasized that an effort is made to give the youth not just physical training but also training in good moral values. Fordham said he has several family members who are involved in Korean martial arts, some past and current military veterans.
Alex Martinez, a new member of the Chamber, is CEO of the Martinez Agency, a marketing company based in Rogers which specializes in web design, social media and branding services. He said he is looking for office space since his current lease expires in April and would be interested in space in the Gravette area. Alex's wife is the publisher of The Job Guide, an employment publication that started in 2010. Mrs. Martinez took it over in 2014. The biweekly magazine covers employment opportunities in northwest Arkansas, southwest Missouri and the metro Tulsa area.
Joey Cannon, who partners with his father Brent in the Can Do Hardware and Pet Pop businesses, told a bit about his history with each business. He noted that Can-Do stocks traditional hardware items and Pet Pop well-known pet food and supplies and both pride themselves on carrying hard-to-find items that are in demand. Both also stock specialty items such as candy, soft drinks and gift items. Cannon said the specialty items now account for a little over 40% of their business. Can-Do features a period London section and an Old West section, and the Pet Pop location is decorated in an '80s and '90s theme. Special sections like haunted houses and escape rooms are planned.
Hendren said that the chamber's first third Thursday event would be held Thursday, March 16, weather permitting, and announced that the annual chamber gala had been scheduled for Thursday, April 27, at the Ozarks Community Hospital annex with a "Nashville Nights" theme. Auctioneer Dwayne Craig will conduct the live pie auction. A silent auction and door prizes are being planned. Tickets will be available for $50 per person or $350 for a table of eight.
Hendren also announced that the chamber is still in need of a president and encouraged anyone interested to contact her at the Bank of Gravette or Maggie McKenzie at OCH. The chamber is also seeking a person to serve as the office administrator and chamber secretary. This should be someone with a broad range of office management skills and who is interested in meeting and talking with chamber members and community business owners. It is important that this be someone who is dedicated to promoting Gravette and helping ensure its future progress. Working hours would be 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the chamber office, with pay of $17 to $19 an hour. Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to [email protected]; [email protected] or [email protected].
Susan Holland/Westside Eagle Observer Kurt Maddox, mayor of Gravette, gives a recap of his state of the city address at the Feb. 15 meeting of the Greater Gravette Chamber of Commerce. Maddox had first delivered the address at the regular meeting of the city council committee of the whole the previous evening at city hall.