Eight years ago, when Beverly Balaz became president of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, the organization carried a slogan that baffled her.
“It was called ”˜The Fun Chamber,”™” she recalled. “And I thought, ”˜What is that about?”™ So, we changed our slogan to ”˜Building Relationships, Building Business.”™”
As the chamber prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, Balaz believed the slogan is the perfect definition of the organization”™s role within the town”™s business community.
“The key to our success is letting our membership know that we”™re a trusted entity and that we are here to advocate on their behalf,” she continued. “And we help them not only sustain their business, but to grow their businesses as well.”
Balaz has been encouraged with the recent flurry of new business openings across the town ”” her schedule has been busy with ribbon-cutting ceremonies. She credits much of the new activity to Fairfield”™s multilevel appeal to business professionals.
“When we get new owners and I ask them why did they select Fairfield, they say, ”˜It”™s just the perfect town to open a business,”™” she said. “I think that Fairfield certainly is a town where people want to work, play and live.”
Under Balaz”™s leadership, the chamber has sought to involve the wider community in the support of local businesses. One of the chamber”™s recent endeavors was the Fairfield Community e-Gift Card program launched last November with the participation of the town government in response to the economic challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic. The cards are redeemable in the 74 Fairfield-based businesses participating in the program, and Balaz noted it has helped boost businesses.
“To date, our community has purchased over $70,000 worth of gift cards,” she said. “That money has to stay in Fairfield specific to the 74 businesses who are participating, so that”™s a measurable number. We have the analytics on that. And we certainly hope to reach over $100,000 towards the end of the year.”
For the chamber”™s 75th anniversary festivities, Balaz is planning to launch a buy-a-brick program that will be centered on the town”™s Post Road commercial district and feature special bricks with the names of donors to the program.
“We want our business community and our businesses to buy bricks,” she said. “That will be a really nice legacy to have in years to come, with our businesses”™ names etched into a brick for everyone to see in the future.”
Looking forward, Balaz is eager to see the chamber move completely beyond the pandemic. She lamented that its annual health and fitness expo has not been held for two years and will not be back until March 2022, but she was enthusiastic for a new golf tournament coming up at the Brooklawn Country Club scheduled for Sept. 27.
Balaz laughed in pointing out that a special 75th anniversary dinner celebration originally slated for July is being moved to the fall because so many chamber members were taking advantage of the lifting of pandemic restrictions to enjoy summer vacations that were not possible last year.
And while she is glad for the chamber members being able to move their lives personal beyond the pandemic, she is also excited over restarting the organization”™s slate of professional activities.
“One of the most important things is to start to schedule events for networking and to get people together again, so people can shake a hand, say hello, hand out a business card and provide contact information so people can follow up with each other if they think there”™s good synergy between each of the businesses,” she said. “I think we”™ve missed that physical interaction throughout Covid.”
