When Magical Minds Childcare and Learning Center opened this spring in Woodbury, Matt Johnson was there to officially welcome the center to town, with
an oversized scissors and a shiny green ribbon. Johnson is one of 30 Chamber of
Commerce members who have been given the special task and title of an ambassador
for the chamber and the city.
The Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce is proof that local chambers are still
a vital part of local communities, especially one that’s booming as much as
Woodbury. With an active Twitter account and Facebook page, the chamber is
intertwined in almost every aspect of all things Woodbury, especially small
businesses.
The chamber promotes a greater sense of business community through many
programs. The ambassador programs are a standard in the industry, says chamber
president Barbara Tuccito Warren. “To be an ambassador is an honor. They’re out
representing the chamber in the community. They’re the face of the chamber.”
The ambassadors are split into four groups and are then assigned to four
different tasks: ribbon-cuttings, monthly membership luncheons, monthly morning
and after-hours networking events, and business outreach and retention. In other
words, they know what’s going on in Woodbury’s business community. We chatted
with three ambassadors to get an inside look at how they’re making a difference
in the local community.
Sarah Beegle
Sarah Beegle was the new girl in town...but not for long. After moving here
two years ago, she wanted to build a professional and personal network, so she
joined the chamber. Then, she took it a step further and applied to be an
ambassador—a voluntary role, but one that requires an application process and
often has a waiting list.
As co-chair for the ambassador program, Beegle helps plan monthly membership
lunches which serve as a way for the ambassadors to connect, grow chamber
membership and chat about upcoming events (they attend 10–12 events per month,
including ribbon-cutting ceremonies).
“I just kind of dove in,” Beegle says with a laugh. When she’s not out
supporting the local community, she is working at her day job in event planning
and sales at Prom Catering in Oakdale. “Woodbury is such a great community. It
really has a small-town feel.”
Matt Johnson
Real estate agent Matt Johnson often carries two things with him: keys to the
houses he’s showing and scissors for local ribbon-cutting ceremonies. A chamber
member and an ambassador, he helps monitor business outreach and retention,
touting the rich resources nestled within the chamber. “We reach out to the
business community and support them,” Johnson says. “We’re there as a resource,
introducing business owners to others in the area.”
The Woodbury resident and father of two is excited about the future of
Woodbury and even more excited that he gets to be a part of it. “People want to
know that you’re embedded with the community: the shopping, the housing, the
business climate in general,” Johnson says.
Cheryl Woodley
Like Beegle, Cheryl Woodley also relocated to the Woodbury area and shortly
afterwards, she joined the chamber. “In a short amount of time, I met an
incredible amount of people,” she says.
Since joining the ambassador program six years ago, this BMO Harris employee
and mom of two has been jumping into new roles, volunteering for different
boards and signing up to help with various events, including Woodbury Days. A
member of the ribbon-cutting team, she’s often one of the first to welcome a
small business to town. “It’s so cool to see how different businesses
collaborate together,” Woodley says. “Everyone gets to know each other and
everyone wants to help each other.”
