Sherry Jordan Q&A
Outlook spoke with Edmond Chamber President Sherry Jordan about Edmond’s re-opening and the future of local businesses.
On June 1st, Edmond City Council approved the 3rd phase of reopening. What does that mean for local businesses?
While Phase II opened a lot of doors, Phase III allowed businesses to resume unrestricted. Staffing and group sizes were no longer limited. This means that after six weeks of necessary restrictions, businesses began to operate at full capacity again.
Why should we promote local, Edmond businesses?
If you enjoy parks, public safety, sidewalks, biking trails and other capital improvement projects, then you should support your community by shopping locally. When you spend your money in Edmond, your sales tax dollars contribute to all those amenities and more. Local businesses are owned by your neighbors, people who put years of work and planning into creating something that benefits their city.
What “firsts” are we experiencing in Edmond?
Despite a global pandemic, we’re experiencing several firsts in 2020. The historic E.A. Bender building is now home to Frenzy Brewing Company, Edmond’s first ever brewery. Blocworks, the city’s first indoor climbing gym, is also located downtown and offers bouldering for all age and ability levels. The city’s first Firecracker 5K will be Saturday, July 4 on the newly extended Spring Creek Trail.
What is the chamber doing to promote the re-opening?
The Edmond Chamber partnered with the Edmond Economic Development Authority to create a joint task force called
Elevate Edmond. The task force helped support the approach to reopening the Edmond economy to ensure greater collaboration between the business community, government and education stakeholders.
We partnered with the Edmond Economic Development Authority and Edmond Futures to grant $150,000 to small businesses who were impacted by the pandemic. We also generated more than $40,000 in sales to local members and paid out more than $2,000 during our two-week retail and restaurant rebate program.
What can we all do to help local businesses?
Keep your money in the community. There are so many ways to support a local business, but they need you to spend your money with them. Before looking for an item on Amazon, check to see if any local shops carry the same item. Set aside money to support a local restaurant once a week (or once a month) and invite your friends and family to join. When you’re choosing a new dentist, pest control service or landscaper, choose a business based in Edmond.
What’s new at the Chamber?
Diversity and Inclusion Series – This program is currently still in the planning stage, but we’re excited to announce more information in the coming months.
New Logo, updated website, mobile app – The Edmond Chamber brought in 2020 with several new changes including a new logo, mobile app and updated website.
Accreditation with the U.S. Chamber – Out of approximately 7,000 chambers in our nation, the Edmond Chamber is one
of only 125 that have a 5-star designation. We’re one of only three in the state. In 2020, we’ll be working hard to maintain our accreditation.
Edmond’s Longest Table – This new event will be held in October 2020 and is designed to bring people together who may have never met for a night of community bonding. Guests will be seated around the city’s “longest table” for a casual dinner in downtown Edmond.
To learn more, go to www.edmondchamber.com
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