It would appear the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce is attempting to jumpstart the new year of 2014 with some new ideas, “new blood” and new initiatives.

Hopefully they gain some traction and provide some further incentive for the Chamber to grow and perhaps continue to explore how it best can serve the small business community in town.

The year 2013 definitely won’t go down in the books as the “best ever” time for the Chamber, but contrary to what some may think within the business advocacy organization, we are actually staunch Chamber supporters. We want the business community here to thrive. We want the Chamber to flourish as a group. It clearly benefits our business, all the residents who live here and the Town of Fountain Hills as well.

We still have an obligation to our readers to report the news, however, and sometimes that can create friction, especially if the news isn’t all “positive.” We feel it’s also our duty to periodically dish out compliments on this page when the time is right.

Often times it’s difficult for a business or an organization to “re-invent” itself, to come to grips with some harsh realities and look at things objectively and move ahead with changes and improvements. We’re hopeful the Chamber can do just that through the rest of 2014 and beyond. A thriving and vibrant Chamber – as well as other groups and organizations in Fountain Hills – is important to the small business community and a small community such as ours. Anything less than that is an indicator that things are awry and adjustments are needed.