The Montrose Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Montrose, announce a joint venture through a shared services agreement. The agreement combines efforts of a shared single position to oversee the direction of the Chamber while also meeting city needs in community development. The agreement creates efficiencies and economies of scale for both entities in the sphere of business recruitment, retention, and enrichment. It is also another step taken by both entities to reduce duplication while maximizing services to residents, visitors, and both existing and prospective businesses in the Montrose area. Additionally, the position is designed to complement primary job recruitment and retention strategies and efforts already in place.
The Chamber of Commerce will continue to function as an independent entity, overseen by its board of directors. The Chamber’s identity, finances, and field of membership will remain separate from the City of Montrose. Both entities will work together to add value to the experience of local businesses, as well as innovation and improvement of processes in the services delivery system. The partnership will create a single point of contact for recruitment, assistance and resources, as well as advocacy. In a sense, it is much like a concierge for businesses.
The Montrose Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Montrose City Manager have jointly selected Chelsea Rosty as the newly titled “director of Montrose business innovation.” Rosty brings with her twelve years of experience in business development, public service, and marketing. She has served on the Chamber Board for the past year and has been an active Chamber member since 2014.
“If you look around the business world, you see these type of partnerships developing all the time,” says Rosty, “I fully believe this collaboration allows the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Montrose to better identify and meet businesses’ needs. This partnership allows the Chamber to expand and enhance member services, while also reducing overhead costs. In the end, this move improves the Chamber’s sustainability and long-term vision and value. The door to innovation, collaboration, and creativity in business services has been kicked wide open and we are excited to get to work.”
“The Chamber of Commerce looks forward to this new partnership with the City of Montrose and the additional opportunities it will provide our membership while still maintaining our identity and independence. Fostering a healthy and robust business community will benefit all parties involved,” stated Chairman of the Board, Brad Oberto.
The Director of Montrose Business Innovation and Chamber employees will be housed at the Proximity Space, located on Main Street. The location facilitates the position’s key operations in the center of local innovation and ensures that no opportunity will be missed to capture business, entrepreneurship, or retail development type leads coming into the Proximity Space. Such leads will have the direct advantage of the resources now available through this single-source position. The move also places the Chamber in the heart of downtown at the epicenter of local business, as its current building is under contract.
Montrose City Manager, Bill Bell, added, "We are very excited about this opportunity to partner with the Montrose Chamber of Commerce to provide even more services and programs to our local businesses, while at the same time, fostering new relationships with potential retail, service and tech-based businesses who want to take advantage of the great things Montrose has to offer. Montrose is a community well known for quality of life and outdoor recreation, but it is time to make ourselves known as a leader in the emerging world of public-private partnerships, entrepreneurship and start-up systems.”
For questions or for more information, please contact Chelsea Rosty at 970-250-2189.