Conversation: New chamber head says economy stable
By Chris Walker (Contact)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
“Conversation” is a question-and-answer interview with a local person. This week’s interview is with Joel Phipps, the new chairman of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce.
Q Tell us about yourself.
A I came here to go to ESU in 1993 and graduated in 1997. I started selling real estate right after college, and in 2002 we opened our RE/MAX office. I have been a member of the chamber on varied levels for several years.
Q What are your goals as chamber president?
A One of our primary goals for ’09 is to grow our membership. We also want to be a resource for businesses and be very accessible to our members.
Q How does the chamber help the business community?
A Our mission is to be proactive in creating an environment for business success. We survey our members every year to find out their issues and then develop programming around those issues. We have legislative information sessions, business training as well as different events and showcases.
Q How do you think the Emporia economy is doing?
A I keep close tabs on the real estate market because that is what I do. We saw a large number of homes come on the market last year and it dwindled out towards the end of the year. We are getting back to what I consider a healthy amount of homes for sale.
After the holidays, local retailers seemed upbeat about retail sales, so that is a positive. Based on the big picture, I think things in the Emporia area are steady and stable. We are very fortunate to be in Emporia and I am looking forward to a positive 2009.
Q In the future, what do you think we need to do to be a successful, growing community?
A For Emporia to grow, we have to allow reasonable residential, industrial and commercial development. Hopefully, the Emporia area will embrace growth and development — that clearly has net benefit to the community.
Also, I have been impressed with the most recent Leadership Emporia project. They created a very valuable resource that will assist Emporians in forming and operating a neighborhood association. I feel that if this document is utilized by the community, it could be one of the most powerful things to happen in a long time.
Q What has impressed you about the chamber’s Building Futures campaign?
A I think all nine components of Building Futures will make Emporia a better place. I have been most impressed in how the campaign has created the common energy and goals necessary for the growth of our community.