Hollister chamber moves office to airport

The chamber had operated from the old train depot beside Hollister City Hall on Esplanade Street since 1999.

“We chose the location to have a partnership (with) the airport and for reaching the guests that are coming in,” said Pam Druffel, vice chairwoman of the chamber’s board of directors.

Airport Manager Mark Parent would not disclose the lease rate but said it was effectively a trade-out deal. “Their leased space is paid through goods and services,” Parent said.

Parent said the airport had nearly 30,000 arrivals last year and generated more than $8 million in revenue. Taney County took over airport management in 2005 from the College of the Ozarks, and a 10-member advisory board including representation from the cities of Branson, Hollister and Forsyth govern the airport.

“The airport has been significant in gluing the towns together,” Parent added.

The chamber office is located next to Avis Rent-A-Car in the Airport Information Center. Other businesses at the airport include Branson Aircraft Repair, Wings of the Ozarks, Cox Air Methods and Ozark Mountain Helicopters.

The chamber space provides brochures and business cards, but currently is unmanned. “We hope to have some volunteers out there answering phones and answering questions by this summer,” Druffel said.

“We hope to have an administrative assistant by the end of the year.”

Another goal for the chamber is growth in membership, now at 175.

“We want to increase membership and increase awareness of the current members of the benefits of their membership,” Druffel said. “We would like to be over 200 by year’s end.”[[In-content Ad]]