Lebanon
That’s how Meriden Village dairy farmer and veteran Plainfield Selectboard member Rob Taylor describes his role as the new executive director of the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce. Taylor, 45, last week was named to take over as leader of the 100-year civic business organization, succeeding Paul Boucher, who retired in June after 16 years as president.
Taylor, who has been working as the group’s interim director for the past couple of months, has already been busy signing up new members as he moves to update the group’s programs and resources, he said in a telephone interview on Friday
The long-time Plainfield resident, whose family owns Taylor Farm Inc. and Taylor Brothers Sugarhouse, said he is going to reach out to the region’s technology companies — largely been absent from the Chamber’s membership — which he foresees as the drivers of future economic growth. “I want to get more technology companies on board that reflect the changing economic makeup of the Upper Valley. Right now our membership is heavy in service, retail and banking. But the growth is going to come from these new companies,” he said.
And Taylor has already persuaded one Lebanon high-tech startup to join the fold: Appcast, an 18-month-old digital venture with 44 employees that is seeking to automate the placement of recruitment advertising across the Internet to make it less costly for employers to find qualified workers.
The Chamber, which also serves businesses in Enfield, Canaan and Plainfield, has about 350 members, a level that has remained relatively flat for several years. Although independently owned small retail and service business are represented, few of the region’s larger manufacturers or high-tech companies are members. “There are a lot more than 350 companies out there. So there’s plenty of new members to go after,” he said.
Taylor said one of his goals is to beef up the organization’s business educational offerings. He cited Leadership Upper Valley, first organized by the Chamber before oversight of the program was taken over by Vital Communities, as the model for future programs.
“I’ve been talking to members, and I also think we need to bring back a jobs fair. Unemployment is so low in the Upper Valley that employers have a hard time finding people,” he said.
And for workers, he acknowledged, the issue is not so much unemployment as it is underemployment, with not enough adequately paying jobs in low- to mid-level positions.
In addition, Taylor said, he will be looking at ways to update the annual HomeLife Expo, held each March at Dartmouth College’s Leverone Field House in Hanover. The Chamber co-sponsors the event with the Hanover Chamber of Commerce, although the two organizations have parted ways and next year Lebanon will be the sole sponsor.
“In the internet age a lot of people can go on Overstock.com and get things for their home,” Taylor said, so he will be looking for ways to make the event more enticing for Upper Valley residents. “We’ve put out a plea to membership to serve on the (Expo) board,” Taylor said. “We’re definitely going to take a look at how to make it more relevant.”
Another priority: Redesigning the Chamber’s website and updating its use of digital tools. “We’re going to refresh the website and have a presence on social media,” he said.
Among the benefits of Chamber membership that Taylor touts are the organization’s networking events, such as “Business After Hours,” in which a member business hosts an informal meet-and-greet where Upper Valley business people can be introduced to each other. The most recent one was held at Great Eastern Radio in West Lebanon. The next one will be hosted by Poor Thom’s Tavern, a new restaurant and pub that opened in Meriden in May after five years of planning.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the location for the next business social reflects Taylor’s plans for the Chamber.
“I just signed them up,” Taylor said.
