Executive Director

Message from the Executive Director:

Growing businesses and moving a community forward is our goal here at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce and we know that it takes cooperation, hard work and dedication.

It’s been a tough few years for everyone. The pandemic in 2020 changed the way we live and do business, but it also taught us something about vision, perseverance and community. The pandemic presented numerous challenges but it also presented numerous opportunities.

While some businesses did not survive the disruption, other businesses were opened and thrived due to some innovative thinking.

Businesses, organizations, families and individuals faced tough decisions as the workforce shortage became more apparent and businesses struggled to have enough workers to keep their doors open, as well as deal with limited supplies due to the pandemic’s disruption of the supply chain.

But despite these challenges, Grant County continued to keep on keeping on and that’s what we do. This community comes together and works cooperatively when it needs to.

Visitors choose to come to Grant County to see the Ark Encounter in Williamstown in masses, especially as part of the 40 Days Southern Gospel Music Fest that was held at the Ark during August and September. Local hotels, restaurants, short-term rentals, gas stations, grocery stores and specialty shops all benefitted from these visitors.

To welcome the guests to the community, the chamber/tourism and economic development office spearheaded staffing, with the help of volunteers, a community information table at the Ark during this event, as well as held music and festivals downtown to give visitors and residents more options of how to spend their time and money.

Even more events/festivals and plans are in the works for 2023.

Our focus here at the Grant County Chamber is to better serve our members and the community with programs and networking opportunities. We want to be the leader on projects that not only make our community attractive to visitors but to carve out a better quality of life for our residents.

As executive director of the chamber, as well as the Grant County Industrial Development (economic development) authority and Grant County Tourism, I will work hard to promote trade, tourism, industry and quality of life for Grant County. I work closely with the judge and mayors to develop long-term economic plans as well as work with the businesses to promote their interests.

I cannot do it alone and that’s why it’s critical for our businesses, citizens, organizations, educational institutions and churches to partner with us to make Grant County the best place in Kentucky to live, work and raise a family.

You are more than welcome to check out what the chamber is about at one of our monthly breakfast meetings, held the third Monday of the month (except January/February when they are held on the third Tuesday of the month due to federal holidays) at 8 a.m. at the Grant County Extension Office. Breakfast is free and prepared by the Grant County Homemakers. The chamber offers breakfast sponsorship opportunities to local businesses and organizations for $500 for a full sponsorship; $250 for half sponsorship and $175 for a partial sponsorship. This money is paid to the homemakers, who use it to fund a scholarship for students at Grant County and Williamstown schools.

The Grant County Chamber of Commerce is Grant County’s oldest and only business organization serving our community. Membership is based on number of employees and ranges from $75 to $600 annually. Membership in the chamber shows a local business’s commitment to the community and the success of the local economy.

Being part of the chamber is a sound investment.

In our 50 years history, the Grant County Chamber has been a driving force behind ensuring that our local economy is strong and that our community is prosperous and vibrant.

This year promises to be an exciting one as new businesses will open and visitors will choose to spend time our community.

We’ve got a lot of plans for new events, new business opportunities and more ways to get customers into your business. It’s our business to enable our members to do collectively what they may not be able to do individually. We hope you’ll get on board with us because the only way to see change and move a community forward is to be part of the solution.

(Jamie Baker serves as executive director of the Grant County Chamber of Commerce/Grant County Industrial Development Authority and the Grant County Tourist and Convention Commission. She can be reached at jbaker@grantcommerce.org or by phone at 859-824-3322.