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Chamber revamps membership model; county launches new website and a 52‑mile spring litter cleanup partnership
Summary
The Walterboro‑Colleton Chamber announced a 100‑day restructure with new membership tiers and free workspace for small businesses; County Administrator reported a newly launched website, a spring litter pickup covering about 52 miles of roadways, and a proposed lease/purchase of the former Rite Aid building for Voter Registration.
Mark Wysong, president of the Walterboro‑Colleton Chamber of Commerce, briefed Colleton County Council on the chamber's first 100 days under his leadership. He said the chamber changed its mission toward promoting local business prosperity, restructured the board, eliminated payroll so member dues fund direct member resources, and added 35 businesses in the first 100 days. "Every dollar that comes in the chamber goes back out as a resource for its member business," Wysong said, describing a tiered membership model that includes benefactor members who support smaller businesses.
Wysong outlined services the chamber now offers: a 100% ad‑free Business Journal insert in the Press & Standard, a media production studio in the chamber office (in partnership with PRTC) to create marketing materials for businesses, and a no‑charge 'we work' office and conference space for smaller members.
County Administrator Kevin Griffin reported a new county website launched in the prior one to two weeks, with interactive forms including board/commission applications and a confidential hotline (843‑898‑8300) and online form for reporting litter hot spots. Griffin said council appropriated funds to partner on a spring 'spruce up' with SCDOT and Earth Day; crews will pick up about 52 miles of roadways over the coming weeks (routes enumerated in the Administrator's briefing).
Griffin also previewed agenda item 22‑O‑07 and described a contract the county secured for the former Rite Aid building on Bells Highway and Jefferies Boulevard (about 11,000 square feet) that he said would offer needed voter‑registration space and storage. The council advanced the mortgage‑financing ordinance on first reading.
Why it matters: the chamber's revamped services aim to bolster small businesses' marketing and shared workspace; the county's website upgrade and larger litter program expand resident access to services and enforcement reporting. The prospective purchase of a larger voter registration facility addresses operational and storage needs tied to new voting systems.
Next steps: the chamber will continue recruiting members and demonstrating value to the county; the county will implement the spring litter pickup, promote the website reporting tools, and proceed with ordinance and financing steps for the voter‑registration building.
