Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1495789
4 UCW MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MANAGING EDITOR April Olsen editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Hannah Lee assistanteditor@upandcomingweekly. com ART DIRECTOR Courtney Sapp-Scott art@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Isaiah Jones graphics@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITERS Alyson Hansen Ashley Shirley Kathleen Ramsey Chayenne Burns Katrina Wilson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Margaret Dickson, Jordan Stein, -Theresa Opeka, Cynthia Ross MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/SALES ADMINISTRATOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com COVER Design by Courtney Sapp-Scott Image courtesy Fayetteville Dinner Theatre Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200- FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Published weekly on Wednesdays, Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Army Airfield, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. No one is more excited about former Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson being named the new Chamber of Commerce president than I. Finally, we will have someone at the helm who knows busi- ness but, more importantly, knows the Fayetteville/Cumberland County com- munity. For far too long, Chamber leadership has focused on social and community- related issues unrelated to the business community. is has caused our Chamber organization to lose credibility, effective- ness, members and money. Robertson has an excellent opportunity to turn the Chamber's sinking ship around and steer it into a port where it can receive much-needed repair and rehabilitation. No doubt, Robertson is qualified and can do the job. Still, it will take dedicated hard work, a competent staff, talented and expert committee volunteers, and an en- gaged board of directors to convince local business owners that change is coming. To this end, Roberston has wasted no time in this quest to rehabilitate the Chamber and make it valuable and rel- evant to the business community. He is working on shoring up his support staff, including the recent hiring of Chamber veteran Jenny Proctor. Proctor was the Director of Operations at the Chamber for seven years when she left in 2020 to pur- sue other endeavors. She has returned as Chief Financial Officer to assist Roberston in the Chamber turn-around. No doubt about it, Proctor will be a considerable asset since she has Chamber experience and an extensive administra- tive background, and years of manage- ment and accounting expertise. Every successful and thriving commu- nity has a strong Chamber of Commerce. With the growth we are experiencing in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, we must have an organization that focuses on its members and produces programs, initiatives and events advantageous to Chamber members and supporting spon- sors and partners. Chamber leadership must have a clear vision of the future and recognize op- portunities that will catalyze a vibrant and robust business community. Equally important, an effective and influential Chamber must have the fortitude to rep- resent local businesses and advocate for business-friendly public policies. With new leadership and a common sense approach, there may be another op- portunity for the Chamber to take advan- tage of. A week ago, the board of directors of Distinctly Fayetteville, formally known as the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, abruptly disengaged their Interim President and number two staffer. e reason for their dismissal is still unclear and may never come to light considering Fayetteville leadership's re- luctance and resistance to transparency. Nonetheless, an effective CVB is equally essential to a community as the Chamber of Commerce. Our CVB, located on Person Street, is in a high-profile and convenient location, making it recognizable and accessible to visitors, guests and residents. In contrast, our Chamber of Commerce is located in the obscured halls of the Festival Park building on Ray Ave. Its location is neither easily recognizable nor accessible to busi- nesses, visitors, guests and residents. is writer believes a Chamber location should be highly visible, easily acces- sible, and located in the economic hub of the business community. I have heard our Chamber is entertaining moving to the Bronco Square Center on Murchin- son Road across from Fayetteville State University. is is a lovely commercial complex, and even though the Chamber would add prestige and credibility to the Center, it fails drastically when fulfilling the Chamber's mission of serving its busi- ness members and residents since that location is neither highly visible, easily recognizable, nor conveniently accessible to businesses, visitors, guests or residents. Here comes the opportunity: With all the changes at Distinctly Fayetteville, it would be advantageous to all Fayetteville and Cumberland County concerns if the Chamber of Commerce was housed in the same location as the CVB. From my per- spective, it would be a win-win consolida- tion that would yield many benefits to our community by taking advantage of basic economies of scale. Pairing these two organizations would be a tour de force for marketing and promoting the Fayetteville community. It makes sense to take advantage of this opportunity. en again, traditionally, Fayetteville and Cumberland County leadership seem to "never miss an oppor- tunity to miss an opportunity." Congratulations to Nat Robertson, our new Chamber of Commerce CEO, and to Jenny Proctor, a hearty welcome back. You can count on our support. anks for reading the Up & Coming Weekly newspaper. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. PUBLISHER'S PEN New Fayetteville Chamber President, new Fayetteville opportunities (maybe) by BILL BOWMAN Letters to the Editor Do YOU have something to say? We want YOU to be heard! We want EVERYONE to be able to voice their opinions on current community events. Let us be a place to start much needed conversations. ALL VOICES WELCOMED! EMAIL: editor@upandcomingweekly.com CALL: 910-484-6200