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Bennington has new Chamber director
November 12th, 2004
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| Joann Erenhouse of Pownal has been hired as the executive director of the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce |
BENNINGTON, Vt. — Joann Erenhouse of Pownal has been hired as the executive director of the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce.
Erenhouse began the job on Nov. 1, and was hired to replace Patti Prosowski, who announced her resignation from the post earlier this year. Prosowski has taken a job as administrative assistant to Manchester Town Manager Peter Webster.
"I love the community," Erenhouse, 56, said on Monday. "I feel very connected to this area, and it's easy for me to be an advocate for the area."
Her professionally diversified experience should bode well for the Chamber, Erenhouse said. She has earned professional degrees in teaching and architectural design and in 2003 was admitted to the Vermont Bar Association as a lawyer. She has also worked as a librarian at the South Londonderry Public Library, as well as the David and Joyce Milne Public Library in Williamstown, Mass.
Her teaching credits include working as a long-term substitute teacher at Stamford Elementary School and a preschool educator at Bennington College. Erenhouse has volunteered with numerous nonprofit organizations and was heavily involved with developing the Vermont Bar Association Adult Education Outreach Program. The program hosts legal education seminars at municipal public libraries statewide.
She said she believes her skills will be fully utilized at the Chamber.
"I really feel that this job pulls everything into one big package, and I'm ecstatic," she said.
She declined to specify her salary.
"I don't want to end up devalued because people think that I am overpaid or underpaid," she explained.
She emphasized her desire to hit the ground running and continue the course charted by Prosowski.
"A lot has been going on here, and Patti did a wonderful job with increasing the membership," Erenhouse said. "I want to keep the momentum going and keep up the excitement."
Assisting with the planned 2005 Moosefest will keep her busy, but will not be her sole focus, she said. Maintaining communication and networking opportunities with Chamber members and other area chambers is a priority, she said. For example, she said she plans to personally visit area innkeepers who may be unable to leave their business sites for Chamber meetings or social events. She also intends to meet with Bennington County Industrial Corp. officials and reinforce the Chamber's role as an economic development resource. And she plans to strengthen existing relationships with the Manchester and Williamstown, Mass., chambers.
One project already well under way is the 2005 Bennington area guidebook, which is being readied for publication. Business owners who are Chamber members must submit their information by Nov. 15 for inclusion in the annual guidebook, Erenhouse said.
"Relationship-building will be a key focus," she said. "There's a lot you can do when you put the right people together. I want to meet people and find out who does what and who does what well and find out who would like to work together."
A cooperative effort could result in far-reaching benefits, she said.
"I want to help the area grow. I think Bennington has a wealth of resources, an amazing amount of potential and very talented people. If everybody can get on the same page, Bennington and the surrounding area is unstoppable." |
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