Business organization puts focus on member companies

Ron Shawgo and Floyd Jett founded Christian County Select about a year ago. The Christian County businessmen – Shawgo owns Ozark Mountain Stained Glass in Nixa and Jett owns Missouri Promotional Products in Ozark – were visiting about ways they could further develop their companies. They envisioned something that could provide a referral service and advertising packages, and Christian County Select was born.

“It’s basically a group of businesses who joined together to promote local businesses to Christian County and to do business referrals to each other,” Shawgo said.

To date, there are 21 members in the organization, and the membership continues to grow. Mando Telles, owner of Elite Electronic Systems in Ozark and a member of CCS, said the organization has had “quite a bit of interest” from Christian County business owners in the past month. Organizers hope to double the membership by the second quarter of 2005.

CCS members are chosen carefully, and memberships per industry are limited. There can only be one business per industry category, although the organization does have two insurance agent members – one in personal lines and one in commercial lines.

Membership fees are $100 initially and $40 per month thereafter.

Members meet twice a month and welcome anyone who is interested in becoming a new member. Businesses that want to be considered for inclusion must have been in business at least two years or have been in business several years with at least one year in Christian County, according to Shawgo.

“We’re trying to pull good, solid businesses that have good reputations,” he said.

CCS won’t accept political organizations or nonprofits.

Prospective members must attend two meetings, after which the current membership decides if it will accept the interested businesses into the organization.

Membership benefits

Membership fees are spent to promote member businesses and Christian County Select. “We’re not trying to develop a nest egg,” Shawgo said. “Our concept is we put it in and we spend it.”

So far, CCS has used its money to put up a billboard on Highway 14, and to place an ad in a direct mail flier. Eventually, the organization hopes to have radio and

television advertising, and to expand its print advertising. As members of CCS,

companies are able to benefit from group advertising and reach more people.

“It will take a little bit, but we’re working on it,” Shawgo said.

Chambers of commerce are good organizations to be involved with, he said, because they get the word out that the businesses exist. But he said they’re limited in what they can do as far as direct advertising benefits to businesses.

“When you’re out here by yourself it gets pretty difficult,” Shawgo said.

CCS can get a better rate for advertising, he added.

“We promote each other’s businesses and will develop more effective advertising than we could get on our own.”

Shawgo said Christian County business owners struggle to keep business in Christian County. “A lot of people head out for Springfield,” he said. “They don’t know we’re here, and we’re trying to make sure people know we’re here.”

Telles has been a member of CCS for only a few months, but he’s seen the benefits already. “It’s helped me focus on some of the advertising opportunities and some of the networking opportunities,” he said. “I’ve been able to network with other Christian County businesses and pick up some work through them.”

The networking that CCS has provided Telles has given him guidance “as far as decisions I have to make in my small business and helped me avoid some of the pitfalls of small-business operation.”

Christian County Select also wants to make sure tax dollars stay in Christian County.

“Our tax money’s what runs our city,” Shawgo said. “The more we keep here the better off our cities will be and our schools and everything else.”

Christian County Select has a seven-member board of directors.

Jett is chairman, Tim Eastin with Naught-Naught Ad Agency is vice-chair, Shawgo is secretary and Heather Jenkins of Jenkins CPA is treasurer. Athena Fitts of Leo’s Pride Inc., Dale Barnett of Barnett Business Consulting Inc. and Jeff Casto of Ozark Bank are members, Jenkins said. The organization has a Web site at www.ccselect.com.