Look Ahead: Florence chamber has plans for new building, Web site

Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce leaders said their plans for the coming year include planning a new downtown location and promoting Florence through the chamber’s Web site.

At the beginning of 2009, a building committee will consider the potential size of the future facility, chamber president Tom Marschel said.

“We want to enhance downtown,” chamber Chairman Tim Norwood said.

The building, which would stand on the former Provident Bank site at 200 S. Coit St., likely will cover about 5,000 square feet — more than double the size of the chamber’s 2,300-square-foot facility at 610 W. Palmetto St., Marschel said.

“We feel like it should be a showcase, like most of the projects downtown,” he said.

The chamber also plans to launch a local electronic restaurant directory in mid-March, when the chamber mails its updated print directory to 2,000 people, Marschel said.

Marschel said restaurants form the category, after hotels, most sought after by the majority of visitors to the chamber’s Web site, http://www.florencescchamber.com.

“Google has made us the doorway to Florence,” he said.

In addition, Internet traffic to the chamber’s site has doubled during the past three years to reach 3 million views in 2008, Marschel said.

“We’re recognizing that all the old rules don’t work, and we’ve been, I think, very proactive” to ensure the chamber is an “ambassador” of Florence, he said.

The chamber also plans to establish a committee to “parse” a report that ranks the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area sixth in the United States in terms of crime rates, Marschel said.

Chamber leaders have met with Florence Police Chief Anson Shells and Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone regarding the report by CQ Press, an agency that publishes books and directories, Marschel said.

The Florence metropolitan area includes Florence and Darlington counties.

Shells told WBTW News13 earlier this year that such crime rankings typically are based on the number of incident reports submitted each year by law enforcement agencies to the FBI. Those reports might not all represent actual crimes, he said.

“It’s clear when you live in Florence, everything gets reported,” Marschel said.

In addition, the chamber is planning a spring event called “Prime Time,” a special Business After Hours gathering that will include a business expo, Marschel said.

The chamber will begin the year with a membership that’s nearly 15 percent higher. During a November event, 111 new members joined, bringing the chamber’s enrollment to 852 members, Marschel said.

The pro-business advocacy of the chamber also will continue, Marschel said, building on the success of voters’ passing Sunday alcohol sales in the city of Florence and a countywide 1-cent sales tax to fund road projects.

“What we’re about is place, and Florence is that place,” Marschel said.

What’s Next
The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce plans for a committee to determine the size of its future downtown headquarters.

In addition, the chamber will focus on attracting visitors to Florence via the Internet and closely examining a report that ranks the Florence area No. 6 nationally in crime.