Your Brand, Your Backyard
Your Brand, Your backyard Podcast was created to help local business owners grow their business locally by identify their ideal clients, connecting with the community and building a long-term sustainably brand. Your small business isn't just a storefront-it's a part of your community. Join hosts Jeremy Roentz and Nick Metheny as they share expert branding tips, real-life success stories and actionable strategies to help you stand out, attract new customers and become a local favorite. Whether you're refining your logo, improving presence or learning how to market to your neighbors, this podcast is your roadmap to local brand success. Because your brand thrives, so does your backyard. Subscribe now and start growing where you're planted!
Your Brand, Your Backyard
The Importance of Community Connection with Special Guest Lori Gerlits
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The Importance of Community Connection with Special Guest Lori Gerlits
Building a successful business takes more than great products, marketing campaigns, and sales strategies. At the heart of every thriving business is something often overlooked: meaningful community connection.
In this episode, Jeremy and Nick sit down with Lori Gerlits, President of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, to explore why strong community relationships remain one of the most powerful growth tools for businesses of all sizes. Drawing from her extensive background in healthcare, technology, retail, real estate, and economic development, Lori shares valuable insights on how business leaders can leverage local partnerships, networking, and community engagement to create long-term success.
They discuss what this means for business owners and leaders:
The Power of Relationships: Why trust, credibility, and genuine connections often generate more opportunities than traditional sales tactics.
The Chamber Advantage: How Chambers of Commerce have evolved beyond networking events to become powerful resources for business growth, advocacy, workforce development, and community engagement.
Playing the Long Game: Why expecting immediate sales from networking organizations is a mistake—and how consistent participation creates opportunities that compound over time.
Community as a Business Strategy: How supporting local organizations, attending events, and building relationships with civic leaders can strengthen your brand and expand your reach.
Marketing Through Connection: Why visibility, partnerships, and community involvement can become some of the most effective forms of marketing available to a business.
Leadership Beyond Business: How local involvement can open doors to civic leadership, influence community development, and create lasting impact far beyond revenue growth.
Whether you're a startup owner, seasoned entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, or community advocate, this conversation offers practical insights on building stronger connections and maximizing the opportunities that exist right in your own backyard.
Discover why the businesses that thrive aren't just connected to customers—they're connected to their communities.
Your Brand, Your Back Yard with Jeremy & Nick
Hello, listeners. Thanks for tuning in to Your Brand, Your Backyard Podcast. I'm Jeremy Rentz. And I'm Nick Matheny. This podcast is centered around being a business owner, removing chaos, and replacing it with strategy, vision, and clarity. How to build a business, but more importantly, how to build your brand in your backyard.
SPEAKER_01So if you're just starting a business, rebranding or expanding, or if you're a marketing professional, a business major, or all of the above, this podcast is created for you. So let's dive in.
SPEAKER_03All right. Welcome, listeners. Welcome back. Nick, hello. It's good to see you. It's been a couple weeks, actually. I've been traveling, you've you've been busy, and uh I'm really excited about our special guest today, Lori Gerlitz. But before we get in with Lori, Nick, you've got a lot of exciting things going on in your world.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, it's been fun. So I was watching a little white ball fly all over uh lacrosse field all weekend. We're in Columbus, Ohio, and gonna do a tournament here in Indianapolis this weekend. So it's kind of fun to watch the the Indian All-Stars playing my son. And so I've been doing that and then uh you know just taking on some new uh new exciting opportunities with my consulting business and uh you know CEO role at a fractional basis with coming up for that. So yeah, it's been kind of fun and and uh I just love the change and digging in and learning new things. So I before we start, I was telling Jeremy I've been doing lots of research on AI this week and and is you know figure out what it can do and what it can't do and where it really stands. So it's been really fun to kind of have my brain expanded into some of those new areas that I'd maybe not dealt with in the past.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's great for me. Last week I was up in Montana, always loved going up there, made it a point. I I drove this time, I wanted to bring my fishing stuff. So got a chance to to fish the Yellowstone River, the Madison River, the family. We uh we rafted down the Yellowstone. And this time of year, I swear that water's like 38 degrees, and and lucky me, I'm in the front of the boat, and I'm in swim trunks and a tank top and a life jacket, and I'm just getting hammered with this frozen water. Uh, but it was a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_01I will wake you up very quickly. Yes.
SPEAKER_00You know, and it was nice in you to protect your family as well. Take one from the team for the team too with the cold water.
SPEAKER_03That's right. Jenny, my wife, was right next to me, and I was trying to like jump in front of her so she wouldn't freeze to death. So, well, Lori, thanks again for hopping on. Excited about this show and really excited to dive a little bit deeper with you. I know that you have, you know, quite the background, but then now present day, you are the president of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce in Castle Rock, Colorado. We'll get more into that uh in a little bit. But thanks for thanks for joining us, Lori.
SPEAKER_00You know, it's my honor and pleasure, Jeremy. Thank you so much for the invitation. And Nick, it's a pleasure to meet you today as well. Um I'm a little bit jealous. You guys have had some fun travels too in your recent days. And I've lot I've been a little bit locked down here in Colorado. Beautiful Colorado, however, though, too. So just endure joining again our local community.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's great. So, Lori, as we take a deeper dive, help us get to know you a little bit more. Would you walk us through, you know, some of your your history, um, your past work experience, and obviously we'll kind of evolve into that into the present day. But yeah, tell us a little bit more about yourself.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Well, thank you very much. So I have actually been a resident here of Colorado for over 30 years, admittedly, as well. I grew up in Northeast Nebraska to really go back in the day. Um, grew up on a false, small farm and ranch in northeast Nebraska that really, I think, ingrained in me that hard work ethic, that demeanor and drive as well to work hard, to support local, to support my community as well, and just do the right thing. So growing up on a farm and ranch, that experience too was amazing and led me into going to my school in Nebraska too. I went to Doan College or now Doan University, just pursuing business administration, but also played volleyball as well. So pursued both an athletic and academic achievements there in college before coming to Colorado. So with a business degree, then I'll quickly transition a little bit into Colorado, though, too. So I've got a little bit of a diverse background. When I first came to Colorado, I started out in healthcare. So I feel like I'm also come a little bit full circle in that my first job in Colorado was with Porter Hospital in Denver. And now I actually fast forward have the privilege to work with our partners in Advent Health Castle Rock here, other Advent Health representatives too. But I'm kind of full circle, starting there, and now I'm I'm linking into it again too through the chamber. So that said, I was in healthcare with Porter Hospital, watched the development as well, working in business development and marketing in the departments there too, in the early 90s, and watching them convert into Centura Health. So that merger of Advent Health at that time, along with Catholic Health Initiatives. So I was in healthcare for several years before going into another pursuit into software development and then actually into other retail operations. So while athletics is a part of my history too, I took a position in operations management with Gulfsmith International. So working with one of the largest retailers at that time, too, and servicing the local retail community too near Park Meadows and in the South Metro area.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00Love to go.
SPEAKER_01Lori, just jump in. Boy, what a what a transition from healthcare to what technology, I guess.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Set into retail. You know, you're talking about hitting all the broad, uh, broad broad spectrums right there.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I I covered a lot, but always focused on business development, um, a little bit of economic development as well, and marketing. So, but very much transitional through the industries. So, Nick, it's kind of interesting that I jumped from retail actually into real estate. So I was a title and escrow manager, also did marketing and business development for Guardian Title here in Colorado, but also worked nationally under the Realogy Corporation. So I worked with our partners from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, all the way to Southern California. So, in that role, I was managing escrow offices in the Denver metro area as well as Colorado Springs, but also focused on business development, real estate, mortgage broker education, too, continuing ed programs and business development as well as well with all of our affiliates nationwide. So, again, just the experience, you know, being in multiple industries, but always really focused on business development, real estate, community, connectivity, title and escrow, it kind of brought everything together too, and working with other industry partners and getting to know too many civic leaders, you know, getting to know our elected officials and get more ingrained in some of our you know political and elected official world too in a civic engagement.
SPEAKER_01So Lori, did did you find that as you worked all these different industries, different geographic areas, that there was a common theme where a lot of the people were they were dealing with the same things, they had the same challenges, even through different industries. Did you kind of find that pattern starting to play out a little bit?
SPEAKER_00You know, there definitely are. So again, with the wide variety of industries that I was that I was working through, business development is always just really key, always looking for change, how to approach change. As you mentioned, leveraging technology though, too, and AI, you know, in our current day. But um, but every industry definitely is looking at how they can connect with business partners, how can they connect with the community, how can they grow and thrive in whatever business and industry they are in? How do they address workforce initiatives? And again, how do they connect with their other leaders? How do they influence regulatory changes? How do they again continue to thrive and grow and look at opportunities in their region and or beyond, you know, depending on what their scope of outreach is. So there were definitely some common themes through those.
SPEAKER_03That's great. You know, one of the things that I wrote down and, you know, through these shows, I always write down things and notes to, you know, kind of play off of. And so with your background across the board, various industries, uh, but the common theme is the marketing and the business development. And one of the biggest struggles and one of the takeaways that we want for our listeners is exactly that some nuggets. Like, what am I missing? What can I do better at? What can I be stronger? What strategies can I deploy? Right. And so from your perspective and your experience, can you touch a little bit on that marketing aspect? Obviously, a lot has changed from the 90s to present day. All right. We've got technology, we've got AI. There's so many things to do and ways to market. But what can you touch on that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think, you know, just as Nick kind of opened up that door talking about AI and how he's delved into that world, it is always an eval, I think an evolution of looking at what resources and tools do you have and how can you leverage your partnerships with other businesses and your chambers and other organizations that support business and support the community as well, too, for growth and sustainability. I think, I think number one, that is really a really key thing is to be open. We need to be very flexible and versatile, versatile to keep our eyes open to opportunities that we may not be looking for. Through the chamber, since I joined the chamber world in 2021, looking at some of the commonalities and looking at opportunities too that people should take advantage of are really a lot of people don't know about a chamber and what is available to that. So the chamber world has evolved as well. So we're looking at what business support tools can we offer. Um, not specifically, you know, a marketing firm, but that's where we look at our resources to and make connections for folks with business, such as be local, our media partners too, whether it be print, whether it be podcasts, whether it be television, whether it be radio, what opportunities are there too for print? And where does print come into play versus the digital world, you know, too that we're now you know thoroughly ingrained in? So I think number one is keeping a very open mind to what is available and just connecting with other business owners, business leaders to get their tips or tips and tricks as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But through the chamber, now I will say too, to kind of bring it fast forward again, is obviously leveraging social media, right? And leveraging all of the channels that we have. There are so many things that businesses can do at no or at little cost to them. You know, to utilize Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn on a more professional level, YouTube, and the multitude again of channels and resources that we have. And so I think having uh I do know that having a knowledge of that or talking with uh businesses that specifically support that, that are experts in that area, is really, really important. That's probably key, really, really key today.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and it's just been an evolution over the last 20 to 30 years, you know, to what to help support businesses and watch them throw and drive and grow, grow and thrive.
SPEAKER_01So Lori, can you talk a little bit about the challenges that you see, especially from people that maybe aren't familiar with the chamber, right? And they they maybe have a perception, maybe even talk about what are the common misperceptions. But anyway, one of the things, anytime you get into an organization where there's some type of networking, whether that's B and I, a chamber, I think you know, my what I've seen a lot of people do is they come in and they're like, I want to get business right now, I want to get sales today. And they're very impatient. And so they come in with this mindset of like, I'm gonna sell people on my program. And and generally in in a professional organization like a chamber, that I found that doesn't work as well as more playing the long game of really how can you give to other people. So can you talk about that? Some of the common mistakes or misperceptions that you see in new people people that are new to the chamber environment.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that that's a that's a really, really good thing to bring up, Nick, Nick, because you're absolutely right. You know, I I always use the line though too that if you have seen one chamber, you have only seen one chamber. So every chamber operates a little bit differently. Even if you know all of our missions are, you know, similar in structure or similar, similar in form format to help our businesses grow, thrive, advocacy for our business members as well are consistent. But how you approach it and having an understanding of what each individual chamber does is really, really key. There are some misconceptions too. So I know one program we have here in Castle Rock too is we've started an X-Gen program because some people have the thoughts or the notion that chambers are something of the past. They're something, you know, that's that's been in existence in some cases for many years. Castle Rock Chamber, for example, we've been here for 70 years. The former chamber that I was associated with was around for a hundred years. So sometimes people think, oh, well, if I know the chamber, the chamber's been around forever. And it's a lot of people that are much beyond my generation. It's the people that are 20 years, 30 years, 40 years older than me. And how am I, how are they really going to relate? How am I really going to connect or what do they do for me? And so I think one really important thing is for people again, for us as a chamber to get our information out to say, no, we're looking at relevant issues today, and we are continuing to evolve and grow as well. So the chambers are designed for connectivity. We're designed to create those networking opportunities. We support people depending on the chamber too with social media support, marketing support, opportunities for them to gain visibility and for them to support their branding and their brand recognition. For example, too, even if we have professional development programs and personal development programs and things too, through the chamber, every opportunity, every event and everything that we host creates a networking opportunity. So there's an educational component, but there's also, again, just the community connectivity. So it's meeting new people, it's learning about the resources all throughout the chamber community and through other memberships, as well as additional resources. We work with our local educators, we work with our small division small business development center, we work with other workforce resources like Arapahoe Douglas Works here in our community, though, too. So we're really multifaceted. And it's I it's really important though for us as the chamber then to educate people on what are the multitude of opportunities and ask them questions though. What is that business? What is their business strategy and where can we best support them as well through our programs and our activities? I love Nick that you brought up the fact though, too, that I should expect business now. So I will say, too, in my experience, that yeah, I like to think that the chamber has something for everyone. And really most chambers do have something for every business, small to large. We have things for nonprofits, we have things for education partners too, from junior high, high school, as well to higher ed and beyond. But I will also say though, too, that I've experienced some of those conversations with business members too that sign up, they enroll, they decide I'm gonna join the chamber, and their expectation for ROI return on investment can be a little bit unrealistic. If you'd like for me to give you a real-world example, um, I had a business as well, who he invested, uh came into just a lower level investment with the chamber. And I believe it was about $500 annually, was what that initial investment was, to be frank. And he came back to us three weeks after enrolling in the chamber and flat out confessed to me as well that he thought he should have at least a six thousand dollar deal in his door in his pipeline just by joining the chamber three weeks earlier. If I could get that kind of return on investment, I should not I should not be in this business. I should not be at the chamber right now.
SPEAKER_01Well, you certainly shouldn't be charging 500. That number should have a lot of zeros after it. And it's you know, Jeremy, Jeremy and I being in the you know, in the field dealing with hundreds of businesses. I mean, Jeremy, you see this all the time, right? Just the expectation of, well, I've spent X number of dollars. I expect this versus wait, I spent this as a tool, but I haven't done anything with this tool yet. I haven't developed this. It's the concept of like, hey, I just paid for my gym membership. Why am I not getting in better shape? Well, you didn't actually go to the gym. And when you went to the gym, you worked out for three minutes and then you sung around and talked to people. So in my view, I look at it as I look at any networking type of function in the chamber is certainly connection and networking. It's only as good as the the work that someone puts into it. So, Jeremy, I know you've had a lot of experience with this. So, do you want to dive a little bit deeper into that? And then we can go back to Lori on some other some other things.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and you know, it it's interesting when you're talking about, you know, people's understanding, their involvement, or in a lot of cases, lack thereof, right? They they want to sign up for something. They want, they want something for nothing almost. And you know, as another business owner myself, I would look at the chamber, the $500 for annual. Number one, that's just not a lot of money. But what can I do to maximize that spend? And what doors will that open for me? I have to have boots on the ground. I have to shake hands, I have to collect business cards and give business cards and build relationships. Because ultimately, at the end of the day, most business is done when you know, like, and trust. Absolutely. When you know, like and trust, we as a consumer are more comfortable and we're more confident. Yes, right. Absolutely. So you know that that's a very interesting story because, yes, as Nick alluded to, I I come across that very, very frequently. And and as much as you try to lay the right expectation, there is only so much that you can do.
SPEAKER_00Right, right. You know, again, going back to kind of tools and resources, um, Nick, you hit the hit the nail on the head. It's what how do you leverage the opportunities? Thank you, Jeremy, as well for saying a few hundred dollars isn't that much because sometimes you do put it in that perspective, and you know, that's a couple of really nice dinners out. But for $500 or a few hundred dollars or a couple thousand dollars annually, there are so many opportunities, again, with any chamber, depending how they're structured, though, too, to build that brand and to connect and network. Through the Castle Rock Chamber, I will say last year, for example, Nick, uh, we hosted 271 events in 2025. So everyone had, you know, a participation of anywhere from you know, a smaller sized group might be eight or 10 people. Uh, but then we also coordinated community events here in Castle Rock, in particular, where we partner with a lot of our town partners, the town of Castle Rock, our EDC, and our downtown alliance as well. And we have events as large as Starlighting, where we had 49,000 people in downtown Castle Rock. And there's exhibiting opportunities, and there's so many different ways to engage and participate that of all sizes, shapes, and scopes, though, too. So it's a really broad spectrum portion.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And and I just will throw that my personal experience. You know, I've found, again, I've seen this when people come in and they try to treat as I want to meet somebody and close them, I want to tell them all about my business. But a lot of times the people that are in chambers, and they they might be a brand new business, but a lot of them are more established businesses. It might be the hospitals and the banks and the, you know, the companies that have layers. So many cases I found that when go to like a breakfast or go, there's a speaker, you would meet people that maybe weren't a direct prospect. But I, you know, I remember meeting people at the time were state senators that are now in Congress. I remember meeting mayors, I remember meeting, you know, city councilmen, all these different political figures. But then I also started meeting executives at different places. And what it did is it opened up a lot of doors, not necessarily that week or that month, but what it did did find is that because I had those connections from that chamber event, that it led me to things two, three, four, five years down the road where I could kind of call in those chips a little bit, so to speak, and develop those relationships. So do you see that happen quite a bit where it's really more of a long game versus what am I going to get in six months or a year? It's really what am I going to gain out of the chamber over a period of two, three, four, five years. Do you kind of see that play out quite a bit as well?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Absolutely. And again, going back to what Jeremy said, building that credibility, building trust and confidence then too in who you're associating with and who you're working with, it's it really, really is key. So yeah, again, expecting to have a transaction that's, you know, tenfold or more what your investment is, you know, for an for a year, um, again, to it's what you put, what you put into it, you're gonna get out. But it is it like gym membership, you know, it takes time as well to to change your physical shape. And likewise, you're gonna change the scope of your business or shape how you're doing things, how you're connecting, and how you're leveraging that membership of with the chamber or other, you know, type of organization as well to support your business or to support your personal development. I like the fact, Nick, that you brought up to meeting local elected officials too. So having that voice, you know, with the people that are driving our business, driving our economy, driving our rules and regulations as well to try to improve upon all of our communities and improve upon our nation is really key. And we I've definitely seen growth through my experience through the other chamber as well, for people to transition from their business roles, but enhance it and then actually go pursuing to be on a town council or on a city council or to become a county. Commissioner, or even further to take it to the state level and work in either our house or our senate, or take it one step further, even up to the federal level. So as chambers too, we associate with a lot of other chambers, and we also partner too and appreciate our relationship with the U.S. Chamber, because the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as well, again, on the higher level, that's really key for all of our states again to have that voice and that impression for our businesses. What's happening in Colorado, but how is that being affected by those decisions that are being made in DC? So, but absolutely connections being made on a variety of ways, connecting business, civic, nonprofit partners too. That's really what comes out of it, out of the chamber experience.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's great. I want to go back to that $500 for a second because it's like when you're a business owner, right, your job is to invest back in, right? You to have a very in-depth or very robust marketing strategy. And I think being heavily involved in in your community, right? In your backyard, that is how you build a brand. That is just one of the stepping stones, if you will. And I don't care if, you know, if you look at $500 as a lot of money to be involved in your local community, we'll just eat grilled cheese for a couple of nights. All right. You know, you don't need to go to, you know, one of these fancy steakhouses uh and splurge all the time. But we have to, as business owners, it is our job and our obligation, right, to be involved, to be out in the community. And it my partnership with with y'all and and the Castle Rock Chamber is strictly because of those doors and that potential opportunity. So I just wanted to touch back on that. Let's pivot a little bit. Lori, talk about the the key role that a chamber does play, but also how it works side by side with the city, city officials, planning committee, kind of there's all these kind of pillars that make up of our great towns and great cities all across America. But I know you can only speak for Castle Rock, but but uh take a little deeper dive and explain how that works a little bit.
SPEAKER_00So thank you for bringing that up too, because I will say, and speaking for Castle Rock, we have an amazing community here and obviously growing and thriving. Our population here in Castle Rock right now is getting a little bit closer to 90,000. You know, we're just up of 85,000, I think, at this point. And then in the early 2000s, we were more around 10,000 in population. So each of our organizations here within the city or within the town have a different role. So our collaboration and our partnership with the other organizations is really, really key as well to that to supporting the entire thriving community for businesses, for residents, for visitors as well. And so, for instance, here at the Castle Rock Chamber, I really value my incredible partnership with the Castle Rock EDC or Economic Development Corporation, where their focus is really more on economic development, categorized a little bit more for recruitment, retention, you know, and other support of the businesses within the community. Then I look at our downtown alliance as well. And our partners there are very, very focused specifically on downtown Castle Rock, kind of that geographic area though, too, and really what's the heart of Castle Rock too in downtown. So they're supporting the businesses and organizations here too, including the chamber, which is located in downtown, through other means. So it's events, it's engagement, it's drawing people in, it's adding foot traffic as well to drive sales revenue, supporting the business, supporting the town as well, that also really are key to infrastructure, public safety, and everything else for our community as well. So the chamber, then, our role, a little bit different than we look at personal development, professional development, networking, creating those opportunities, building the business's brand. I kind of I'm gonna move over as well into mentioning ribbon cuttings and celebrations. So, you know, chambers are definitely very famous uh historically as well for being the ribbon cuttings. We've got the big scissors that everybody loves. And it's it's just fun. It should be fun, it should be engaging and just a real celebration of a business, whether they've just opened their doors or whether they're celebrating one year in business, five years in business, or here at the chamber, I'm I'm really proud to say we have a lot of businesses that have been in existence for 50 years or more. And we've got some special activities that we're doing as well to acknowledge them in our community. But even ribbon cuttings and celebrations like that, we invite all of our town partners. So we invite folks from the EDC, the downtown alliance, and we invite our elected officials too, from both the town level and the county level to be a part of that. Because nothing says, I feel more welcome, I feel supported by my community than having good a good turnout to come to open or celebrate my business. So that said, too, and touching then on the town council or our board of county commissioners as well, I think it's important for them and they feel important too to know what's going on in the business community and what businesses are being attracted into their areas, into their district and into the region. So you can look at a shift too of hospitality or maybe there's a different type of industry focus where aerospace, for example, you know, aerospace or other partners though, too, subcontractors and things too, are very important to the Southeast Metro Denver region, but also here in Douglas County and in Castle Rock. So I think you kind of look at how the business climate evolves and thrives, but it brings together again through those types of events, ribbon cuttings, our educational and professional development programs, our large community events and signature programs too. It can bring all of these really key leaders and officials again into our environment. Town leaders too. I will say that our town manager, the assistant managers, our partners in planning, our partners in, you know, with design review, and our folks in town uh in the town too with parks and rec are really, really key again to the overall feel of our community. So it is a huge collaboration amongst all of our organizations.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, can can we talk for a second about? I think sometimes there's uh there's really a blurred line when you think about a role of a, you know, like a chamber, right? So it's sometimes very clear they go, oh, yeah, that's that's a for-profit business. That's government, right? That's a federal, state, local government. And then you've got things like Better Business Bureau. I remember for years when I was young, I thought Better Business Bureau was like a federal agency. And I realized, no, it's a private for-profit organization. And so I think chambers, they kind of straddle that line because they have so much interaction with city and government, but then they also have the interaction with the private business sector. Do you sometimes see people have the confusion like, hey, is this a government organization? Is it getting funding from the state, from the city? Is this a private organization? Because obviously, if you think, well, they're getting all the funding from the city and the state, why am I having to pay?
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01That's a whole different feel than hey, all these things are being provided and I'm only paying whatever the $500, $1,000, $2,000 a year. So can you address a little bit about the actual structure of the Chamber of Commerce and where that falls on the government side, on the private sector side?
SPEAKER_00Yep. A great point, also as well to bring up. Thanks, Nick. So um chambers, most chambers are 501c6 organizations because of the advocacy component that most of us have. So advocacy meaning that we are representing having a business voice too, with our either local town leaders, city leaders, county leaders, or state or federal leaders as well. So if we're participating in the advocacy capacity, though, too, or we're working with a lobbyist on a different scale to have that voice at the state level, then that's how we get qualified as a 501c6. Now, we here at the Castle Art Chamber also too have a 501c3. So we have a foundation which is completely a nonprofit organization. And through our foundation, we support Leadership Douglas County. We just support workforce initiatives and developing and supporting uh leaders through different like work and talents, workforce and talent development, too. So most chambers with that 501c6 or 501c3, we're not supported by government funds. We may apply for grants, we may utilize some of those tools as well for funding and revenue to support our initiatives and our programs. But otherwise, chambers are completely independent. We are not supported by the tax dollar and we are supported through our membership, through our sponsorships as well with any of our small again to large business partners and stakeholders, but we're supported by our membership and our entire community. Now that said, I will say too, we are very a little bit unique here in Castle Rock, too, because we do partner so closely with our town that we do have a service agreement with them. So we do receive some funds, but again, to support again what we're spending. So what we're taking in really we're reinvesting in the community through our signature events and through all of our programs as well. So it is it is definitely a misunderstanding amongst a lot that you're like, oh, you are funded by the government, you are funded through our tax dollars, and that really is not the case.
SPEAKER_01Uh Jeremy, I don't know about you, but that's the first time I've ever heard that term. You it's a 501c6. Yeah, I've I'm very familiar with the 501c3, but I've never heard the 501c6. So that that just that basically takes it from a charity nonprofit, or excuse me, from a nonprofit to an opportunity to to do advocacy advocacy. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_00Correct, correct. That real that's the primary differentiating factor is that advocacy component. So because as I mentioned with the lobbyists, because we've worked with a lobbyist and we're involved there, a tiny portion of membership fees also are applied to any costs that we incur to support and to support those that outreach.
SPEAKER_03And and Nick, yes, I've heard of it. And the only reason is because I'm on the board of directors and I get the privilege and opportunity to work very closely with Lori. So so that that's really the only reason. Yeah. So let's let's I learn new stuff all the time too.
SPEAKER_01That's why I love doing these uh with other people. It's awesome.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, let's pivot before we wrap up, uh Lori. Uh how how would a business or what advice or suggestions would you give to our listeners? So we've got business owners coast to coast as our as our listeners, and I'm sure the majority of them are already chamber members. But what advice would you give them on how to really maximize uh their chamber partnership and their memberships?
SPEAKER_00So I would go to their representatives, you know, whoever their representative is for member outreach and development or community development to have a one-on-one. Sit down with the people that are involved in the chamber with the staff, and they can talk through and ask you very specific questions, though, too, as that business owner or that business leader, what is your business strategy? That's the first thing I need to know is what are you looking to accomplish? Like what are your goals or your, you know, your your goals or your strategy to support or to further grow your business or support that organization? And then look at what are all of the opportunities. So is it marketing? Are you looking for the social media tools? Are you looking to sponsor? Are you looking to be a presenter and a speaker as well to further support other members of the chamber and build those relationships again, supporting one another, because there is so much business opportunity that really it's about supporting one another. And there's enough business for every organization, I believe, in every community. It's how do you partner, how do you collaborate, and and what is important to you? But we're all really here to support and strengthen our community. That really is the preface. That's the ultimate mission of the chamber is to support and develop our communities. So looking at what are all the opportunities. If you're identifying and you have a specific strategy for your business then, what are the tools that the chamber has? Is it getting involved, utilizing that membership, as Nick said too? Do I need to attend one event a month? Should I look at the leads groups, maybe if that's available through the chamber? Or is it an accelerate program? Is it women of influence? Would that be important for me as well to see to connect with other, you know, female business leaders? Or is it leadership Douglas County, where I really get to do a deep dive, you know, and learn more about all of the inner workings of the town or of the city or of the county as well, to build again, you're building relationships, but you're gaining a better understanding of the community. And I think then you can see how does my business connect? And how does my business fit here, or what other opportunities do I have then as well? To bring visibility to my business, or how do I support other businesses as well that ultimately is going to lead to a good working relationship and a win-win situation?
SPEAKER_02I love that. I wrote down support local, love local, live local, grow local.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Jeremy, as we wrap up this episode, first of all, Lori, thank you so much for taking the time to kind of clarify some of these things, get this information out there, because this really, again, applies to it, doesn't matter what market you're in. There's local chamber of commerce. But Jeremy, it kind of reminds me, I had the pleasure of talking to a guy uh this week that I I worked with him eight years ago when he first started his business. And he helps place seniors into senior living facilities, kind of a concierge service. And it was interesting because we were talking, he said, you know, it's kind of up and down, and some weeks are great. And then he goes, I wish I had more consistent supply. And I said, Well, are you involved in some of these organizations? And we got talking about it. I said, Well, you know, have you talked to churches yet? Because obviously a lot of times churches have you know older people and maybe you know singles and widows. And he goes, Yeah, he goes, I didn't get very far because I when I went and talked to him, you know, I want to talk to him about doing a lunch and learn and all that stuff. And I said, No, no, no, listen, a church is not going to have you come in and do a lunch and learn. But if you went to a church and just said, hey, here's a packet of information, if you have widows or you have seniors in your, you know, in your congregation that need any help, we're here, right? That's a completely different viewpoint. And I think if you look at the chamber as it's a tool that it's here to get me jobs today and make me sales, that's the wrong way of approaching it. If you look at the chamber as, hey, here's an opportunity for me to leverage my time, my connections, my skills, and just make myself known to the local community, which will naturally lead to some opportunities for some business. And I think that's the big distinction that I saw just reminding me of that because I was like, yeah, if you just change the expectation, you're not gonna read that kind of resistance, you're gonna get encouragement and very positive feedback. And he was like, Wow, I never thought about it that way. And sometimes that's just where you're talking about going to those those people that do this every day and saying, Hey, here's here's where I'm at. How can you help me? I think people miss that about the chamber a lot.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I that that's such a great point. And the other thing too, Lori, is and as a consumer, I really like leaning heavily on the chamber directory because if they're involved in the community, that they're supporting the community, right? Uh I can really get introduced to that plumber that I that I might need or that landscaper or whatever the business is that I'm looking for. So I think, you know, across the board, that that might be an underutilized tool that as a consumer I love using.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. You know, it's sunny uh that you bring that up too. So being a part of a chamber still um, you know, through research that is done, adds to that business's or that nonprofit's credibility. And people do, some people don't, but uh even some of our staff that I'm working with here too, we'll look at the statistics. We always are like every every month, really, we're pulling up statistics or looking at specific businesses to see how many views does our profile or does our directory get? And we will look at the specific businesses to see, for example, I'll go back to my my rep earlier example of the gentleman that thought he should have that, you know, six thousand dollar deal in the door in three weeks. In three weeks' time, his profile had over 60 views. So looking at that statistic, too, that's a lot of a potential opportunity that he had. And in three weeks, people were checking him out, if you will. So they were looking at his at his information, they were going to his website. Now, whether or not they continued, did they call, actually, you know, follow through and make a phone call to him? I don't know. I don't have that ability to track it. People don't want to have that level of detail, I think, necessarily shared in today's world. But but again, from my side of it, I could see how many people, though, that had attracted, you know, or that had were drawn to his profile. Even coming into a chamber, I know here we recognize all of our new members also. We welcome them through our social media channels and promotions on a monthly basis. We appreciate and recognize our renewing members too. And so it's always interesting to look at that data as well. Again, adding more visibility, acknowledging them and appreciating them for being part of our community. But interesting to see some of those results, though, too, when you do look at the digital data to see what kind of visibility they're getting through that directory.
SPEAKER_03That's great. Well, Lori, this has been a pleasure. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to uh hang out with us this afternoon. And for all of our listeners, uh we we appreciate you tuning in. And Nick, as always, it's great to see you. Lori, have a great rest of the week, and we'll catch you next time.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much. Thanks, Nick. Thanks, Jerry.
SPEAKER_03Have a great day. Bye-bye. Thanks for listening to the Your Brand, Your Backyard Podcast. I'm Jeremy Rentz, and I'm Nick Mathey. Be sure to like, follow, and subscribe. And tune into the next episode with more great content coming soon. Thanks for listening to the Your Brand, Your Backyard Podcast. I'm Jeremy Rentz, and I'm Nick Mathey. Be sure to like, follow, and subscribe, and tune into the next episode. More great content coming soon.