Staff photo by Joshua Curry
Sue Bulluck, Wrightsville Beach Chamber of Commerce board member, leads the first luncheon held since April on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at the Holiday Inn Resort. The chamber looks to re-establish the group with new board members and members to create a more active organization.
The Wrightsville Beach Chamber of Commerce held what is typically its annual luncheon to slate new members to the board Wednesday, Sept. 19.
This year’s luncheon served as a time to help stabilize the board, which has seen immediate negative impacts from the economy since 2008.
Board member Sue Bulluck stood in for executive director Glenda Flynn at the luncheon.
“This board is sort of an introduction to reestablishment,” Bulluck said before the meeting.
The invoice mailing list went out to 82 members in 2010, but only 22 members have returned fees so far for this year.
“We’ll just keep growing our organization back to where it was,” Bulluck said. “I think we’re through the worst of it.”
She said she welcomes any recommendations for members or for the organization.
“I am readily available,” Bulluck said.
About 20 members attended the luncheon to show their support for the chamber and its initiatives.
Preston Davenport, Maureen Donovan and Lisa Weeks are the slate of members who were voted by the membership-at-large to take on new board positions for a 3-year term.
“Unfortunately they will be called into services immediately,” Bulluck said.
She said Davenport’s skills could help create a new website for the chamber.
“We have not had our own website. … It’s really time,” Bulluck said.
In the midst of the transition to a new board, the chamber office will also be moving to a new location in the Wrightsville Beach Visitors Center.
Monetary support for the center facility currently comes from the chamber. Bulluck said the chamber would like to continue those efforts.
The chamber typically sends invoices out in August and presents a slate of board members at its luncheon in September. Two more nominations for 2-year terms are necessary to fill all of the open board slots for a total of eight board members.
“We are really shifting gears,” Bulluck said.
The current board has been operating with one executive director and only two seated board members. Those terms end in 2013.
John Andrews, owner of South Beach Grill, gave a brief presentation about the Taste of Wrightsville Beach. The event will come to town for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 27, from 4-7 p.m.
“We just hope this is a catalyst for a nice, off-season fall festival,” he said.
Andrews said organizers plan to sell about 300 tickets, and they are working on the logistics to make the event a neighborhood oyster roast and seafood boil.
The money raised from the event will go toward the Wrightsville Beach Beautification Project and Stop Hunger Now.
“It’s our real hope to extend it to a two-day event,” Andrews said.
