Letter to the Community: Chamber President says, 'Willow Grove is on the Move'

[The following letter was submitted for reprinting by Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce president John DiMarzio in his April and May 2012 chamber letter]

The is not standing still. We are on the move and creating more and more excitement each and every day. 

The business of Willow Grove is our business and we are here to help promote and support our local merchants.  April and May are chock-full of exciting networking events featuring the "Job Fair" sponsored by our Chamber along with State Representative Tom Murt. 

The event, which was held on April 4 was extremely well-attended. 

It has been reported as the BEST job fair on the East Coast.  Women of Willow Grove, a sub chapter of the chamber, will be holding its second annual Business Expo in May.  All are welcome. Please go to www.womenofwillowgrove.com for details.  Many other networking events can be found on the site.  

Our Sam's Club multi chapter networking event held in March was so successful that Sam's Club has asked our chamber to help them sponsor another event in the near future.    

E-Willow Grove has been upgraded to include up to date information about our community. 

A new look on the front page welcomes all new members to the chamber and includes a link to their website, if applicable.  We are beginning a membership drive and will reduce the cost of membership from $85 to $60 for small businesses from now until our fiscal year end (9-30-12).  Discounts to larger businesses will apply. 

Our Membership Chairperson, Judy Dyke, has initiated an Ambassador's Club.  These representatives will call upon our local businesses to help recruit new members and retain current ones. 

Please share with these representatives any concerns, improvements or ideas you may have. Do you have a promotion that you would like to share with all of the chamber members? Having a sale?  Want to introduce your business to the other businesses in the area?  We have a solution.  We will allow four businesses each month to send their ad to all of the other chamber members and the Willow Grove community. 

You will get two email blasts for the month for a $25 administrative fee and a listing on our website for the same month for an additional $10.  Best of all, you will have the chamber's endorsement. 

That's a lot of bang for your dollar.     

The draft of an updated Revitalization Plan for the Upper Moreland Township has just been released and is now available for review and comment. 

The plan can be downloaded from the Township Information section of the documents page. The Train Station Study continues to progress well and is on pace for completion in June. 

Check our webpage for links to these events.   

The Board of Commissioners of Upper Moreland Township has passed an amendment to ordinance # 1612 to add a residential use to theby conditional use in certain circumstances. This could pave the way for significant improvements to our downtown area.      

The goal of the new Board of Directors of the Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce is to have total and open communication with our residents, businesses and civic leaders. This communication will be the key to our success in years ahead.   

As your new president I have many ideas that I hope will strengthen our community.  GET INVOLVED!  We are always looking for help on our committees.  Love to have you.

Regards,  

John L. DiMarzio

President Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce