From the Chamber’s President/CEO

Hello friends… Happy New Year! We are back from the holidays and have hit the ground running with an ambitious load of goals and programming for 2024. This year the Chamber has our sights set on a few key items in entrepreneurship, supporting efforts in early childhood education, and workforce development at the high school and college level. We’ll be providing progress updates throughout the year as we build capacity in the Harrison region.

This holiday season, we launched our annual shop local campaign with a new twist

- specifically encouraging our community to turn in their receipts at participating businesses for the chance to win prizes. Our economic development team wanted to track and set a baseline for dollars spent at our local stores and we were thrilled with these initial results. Shoppers turned in over $11,700 in receipts! These receipts represent more than transactions, but rather an investment back into our community where we live, work and play.

When we shop local, the money circulates within our community, creating a ripple effect that benefits businesses, their employees, and the overall economic health of the Harrison and Boone County region. While we tracked $11,700+ in receipts, the actual impact on our local economy is estimated to be closer to $25,000.

As we celebrate this success, we’re also planning for the largest gathering of business and community leaders all year long – the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on March 12, presented by Equity Bank. This annual gathering is an opportunity to recognize and honor the outstanding achievements of individuals and businesses that have contributed significantly to our community’s growth and development in the past year.

Nominations are live for six of our eight awards, including the Prime Business of the Year, Main Street Business of the Year, and Non-Profit Organization of the Year awards. We encourage you to participate actively in the nomination process. Think about the businesses, leaders, and organizations that have made an impact in 2023, and help us shine a spotlight on their accomplishments.

Our growth in Boone County outpaces the national average and this year we will see more significant progress on projects such as the Rock Springs Apartments, Creekside Community Center, and more sidewalks and trails throughout Harrison. Let’s continue to build on the positive momentum we’ve generated and make 2024 an even more prosperous year for Harrison. We have a lot to be excited about! Together, we can shape a bright future for our community.

Thank you and stay blessed.