The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Elmwood Park Zoo hosts Chamber of Commerce Organization promotes revitalization through business
NORRISTOWN » There are some Christmas wishes that can’t fit under the tree. Not everything is as easy to wrap as a Red Rider BB gun, Xbox or Barbie.
The Norristown Chamber of Commerce celebrated the end of their first year with a Holiday Mixer at Elmwood Park Zoo Tuesday night. They plan to continue their mission to empower Norristown’s businesses community by promoting the growth and success of members and cultivating an environment where businesses can thrive.
It’s not exactly something that can fit into a gift bag but it is the present that could keep giving by invigorating the local economy and community.
“As we see tonight, this is definitely a need of the community,” said Chamber President Kym Ramsey. “We want to thank everyone who has been supportive of the Chamber.
“The first year has been very exciting in making sure people knew about us and supported the mission of the Chamber which is to support businesses and help them grow.”
Elmwood Park Zoo Public Affairs Director Stan Huskey said a Norristown Chamber was a long time coming and is an organization that can benefit the small businesses of Norristown.
“Norristown doesn’t have a
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businesses of Norristown.
“Norristown doesn’t have a large commercial base like some local municipalities,” Huskey pointed out. “The members of the Chamber are all interested in promoting each other and I hope it’s how it evolves.”
Ramsey, owner and founder of the Willow School on DeKalb Street, spearheaded the effort to start a local chamber with assistance from business consultant Bryan Smith of the Small Business Assistance Center. She explained that the impetus for forming the organization stemmed from the shared interest of a core group of business and community leaders dedicated to starting and maintaining a Norristown chamber.
In February 2017, the initial members and affiliates, consisting of about 15 businesses and community groups, began meeting to establish bylaws and determine the chamber’s mission.
Through her research, Ramsey discovered there was a Norristown Chamber of Commerce chartered back in 1912 that morphed, over time, into the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, which, she said, has been very supportive of the Norristown endeavor.
Huskey noted the importance of the Chamber working in concert with the zoo, which attracts 650,000 visitors annually. Elmwood Park Zoo is a member of the Chamber and sponsored Tuesday’s event.
“We want to be able to help the businesses in downtown Norristown,” said Huskey. “I think what Norristown really needs is something like this — that concerted effort. Norristown is never going to come back by itself. It needs the business and the people of Norristown.”
“It’s the cornerstone,” said Ramsey of the zoo. “If we can get established businesses to support upand-coming or new businesses, it says a lot about the commitment to Norristown.”
In November, officials from the Elmwood Park Zoo announced a trolley, which is in its early planning stages. With the goal of attracting more people to Norristown, the zoo would share the fruits of its own success by offering easy transportation for its visitors into downtown Norristown.
Huskey mentioned various restaurants, The Centre Theater, and Theatre Horizon as possible stops along with Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld. The trolley will operate on a reactivated track to be converted from a CSX freight line to a passenger line.