COLUMBIA- Greater Blythewood Chamber member Brian Bobenage, center, cuts the ribbon for the grand opening of his Planet Fitness facility at Hardscrabble and Clemson Roads on Tuesday. From left: Chamber Board Chair Mark Cunningham, board member Tom Gawinski, Byron Thomas (aid to Representative Joe Wilson), Town Councilman Eddie Baughman, Interim Chamber Director Phil Frye, Bobenage, […]
Cow Patty Green Stuff
June 13, 2019 By
BLYTHEWOOD – Winners of the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce’s Cow Patty Bingo event on May 30 were presented checks during the Chamber’s regular meeting on Tuesday. From left: Dale Cogan ($250), Yvette Goodrich ($500), Mark Cunningham ($750) and Valerie Kendrich ($1,000).
Frye: Chamber will be transparent
May 30, 2019 By
Meggs: Town Bailout of Chamber is Unlawful BLYTHEWOOD – After it was revealed last week that the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce is $22,000 in the red and is currently operating on a $20,000 line of credit, Interim Chamber Director Phil Frye raised eyebrows on Council when he announced the Chamber would no longer request […]
Letters: Where Did The Money Go?
May 30, 2019 By
The Board of Directors is at fault for the condition of the Blythewood Chamber. They weren’t watching the store. Why wouldn’t the Board have insisted on financial statements and accountability? Why didn’t the Treasurer insist on regular financials and then report to the Board when he wasn’t getting them? The problem should have been spotted […]
Chamber financials $22K in the red
May 23, 2019 By
Council To Discuss Chamber Finances at Thursday Night’s Budget Workshop BLYTHEWOOD – The Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce’s budget and other documents reveal the Chamber is in financial trouble and has been for a while. Those documents were obtained by The Voice on Tuesday. Now in the red by $22,000, the 183-member organization is taking […]
Switzer resigns chamber post
May 9, 2019 By
BLYTHEWOOD – In what it called a leadership transition, the board of directors of the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that executive director Mike Switzer has resigned his post with the Chamber. Switzer has served as the Chamber’s executive director since 2014. During his tenure he has expanded the Chamber’s membership and programming, […]
Chamber financials still in disarray
April 25, 2019 By
BLYTHEWOOD – Almost a year after the Blythewood Chamber Commerce was not able to produce a credible set of books to Town Hall for the previous budget year, the Chamber’s Board Chairman Phil Fry told Council Monday evening that it still does not have a working budget, or even a draft budget, to present to […]
Chamber finances still in question
March 21, 2019 By
Parler: There Was No Audit, Just a Review of Financial Statements BLYTHEWOOD – Former Blythewood Town Councilman Tom Utroska picked a scab at the Council retreat on Saturday when he suggested Council has never resolved its questionable financial relationship with the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce. “I continue to harp on the Town’s fiduciary responsibility […]
Council bankrolls fundraiser for Chamber
February 28, 2019 By
BLYTHEWOOD – Town Council voted Tuesday night to award $14,000 of Hospitality Tax revenue for a fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce. In an application requesting the funding, Sarah Ballard, an event manager hired for the event – a Bavarian Oktoberfest – noted that it was being held to raise funds for the Greater Blythewood […]
Blythewood Visitor Center moved to Town Hall
February 21, 2019 By
BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood Visitor Center has a new home – in the lobby of Blythewood Town Hall. “Since funding for the Visitor Center is no longer provided to the Blythewood Chamber of Commerce after Dec. 31, we have moved the source of our information for visitors from the Chamber to the Town Hall,” Mayor […]
