Gates County Chamber seeks part‑time staffing support, highlights business outreach and job‑shadowing

Ed Morgan, president of the Gates County Chamber of Commerce, and board member Cecil Bag told commissioners the volunteer chamber has begun operating a staffed office and is seeking county support to hire a part‑time coordinator to establish regular office hours and expand business services.

Morgan said the chamber produced a 2023 resource directory — 3,000 copies printed and nearly exhausted — and that the group has held business networking events, candidate forums and a job‑shadow program for high‑school students. Morgan said the chamber’s job‑shadow program matched students to businesses to spend a morning on site; the program had 12 students in the most recent session and the chamber plans to expand it into full‑day internships.

Requested support and activities: Morgan and Bag said past county appropriations have been modest (they cited a previous high of $1,500), the chamber is currently volunteer‑run and wants county help to hire a part‑time employee to provide consistent office hours (the office currently has volunteers staffing an afternoon each week). The speakers described partnerships with local stakeholders, plans for a farm‑to‑table fundraiser supported by a local foundation, and an outreach role promoting local businesses to prospective employers and visitors.

Commissioner remarks: Commissioners acknowledged the chamber’s volunteer efforts and suggested shared work between county economic development staff and the chamber; no specific dollar amount request was adopted at the meeting and commissioners asked staff to consider how the chamber could be integrated into outreach and business recruitment planning.

No formal vote was taken; chamber leaders said they would return with more specific budget numbers if requested by commissioners.