Pleasant Hope adds chamber of commerce

The Pleasant Hope Area Chamber of Commerce held its first formal meeting April 27 and is in the midst of a membership drive, according to Angie Mullings, a Realtor with Century 21/Ace and president of the new organization. The group has about 20 members so far.

The chamber does not have a storefront location yet, but organizers are putting together a Web site.

“We don’t really have enough money at this point to rent space … but that is absolutely a goal of ours,” Mullings said. “Another goal of ours is to get a Web site set up, because we do have a city Web site, and we want to be linked to that.”

The chamber’s seven-member board of directors is pursuing nonprofit status for the organization, which could serve to enhance efforts to boost business in Pleasant Hope.

“Some of the state and federal programs that can assist (communities) on various needs often go through a nonprofit, and obviously, having a nonprofit status in addition to the local government would possibly open some doors for some funding,” said Allen Kunkel, manager of regional development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Kunkel, whose duties include working with the Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership, has met with Pleasant Hope chamber organizers to offer guidance for the chamber’s formation.

See SBJ’s July 3 issue for In Focus: Southwest Missouri Community Profiles.