HACC aims to ‘lay strong foundation’ with Trackman Campaign
The Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce has begun its newest undertaking in the form of a city-wide effort called the Trackman Campaign. Its goal, according to HACC director Missy Evans, is to develop strategic partners committed to laying the foundation for Hartselle’s future.
The monetary goal is to raise $150,000 annually for a period of three years.
“It’s not about the short term,” Evans said, adding the Chamber has other campaigns in place for those goals, such as its Total Resource Campaign. “This is about a long-term investment that is going to lay a foundation for future growth.”
With the money raised through the campaign, Evans said the HACC hopes to be able to better partner with the City of Hartselle, Morgan County and private businesses.
If the campaign is successful, Evans said the investment in the HACC will allow the organization to “bring dollars to the table to help (investors and stakeholders) accomplish some of the things they are eager to do.”
Some of those goals include long-term planning, improvements to the Main Street district and downtown area and the development of more leadership programs for the “budding workforce” in Hartselle.
“This campaign will give us the money we need to become the chamber our community needs us to be,” Evans said. “There is so much growth happening in north Alabama – and growth is going to happen either way. So, it’s about whether we get to control it or not so that we can have the outcomes we want instead of constantly playing catch-up.
“The city is focused on infrastructure concerns,” Evans added, “and trying to make sure all those parts and pieces are in place for that kind of growth, but then there’s that other part of developing the people and the social environment and the networks that also need to be in place to have real strategic growth.”
Stewart Smallwood, president of Cerrowire in Hartselle, serves as the chair of the Trackman Campaign. He said by supporting the HACC, valuable investments are made in the economy and quality of life in the community.
“Our mission is to fund and focus on two priorities: community enhancement and business development,” Smallwood said.
“The community enhancement agenda includes working with the City of Hartselle on the Community Master Plan, focusing on downtown and community beautification projects, marketing to developers and builders for new housing options and promoting investment in Main Street and other retail developments.
“The business development phase includes developing Pathways to Success – a collaboration with city and county schools as well as local community colleges promoting free or low-cost education programs that improve job prospects while filling the needs of local businesses.”
Smallwood said investing in a small business incubator center in Hartselle is also a goal of the Trackman Campaign.
An incubator could offer a small business or start-up a place for their first office and create business mentorship programs to support new and budding business leaders.
“It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Hartselle community,” Smallwood said. “Industries are moving to north Alabama, and with them, great opportunities for our business community continue to grow. Now is the time to improve what we can offer as far as quality of life and opportunities for our families.”
Evans said it has been a blessing to see people understand the vision quickly, buy in and be generous with their contributions.
For more information on how to get involved in the Trackman Campaign and the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce, email Evans at missy@hartsellechamber.com or Smallwood at ssmallwood@cerrowire.com.
