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Commercial Automation
News
Chamber unveiling new
digs
April 14, 2007
By AMEERAH CETAWAYO, The
Daily News
Pardon the mess, the
bare walls and boxes.
The Bowling Green Area
Chamber of Commerce is
in the process of moving
into its new
building, at the corner
of Seventh Avenue and
College Street, where it
will be known as
the Houchens Industries
Center for Business.
Despite the pre-finished
feel, however, the
chamber plans to open
for business at 8:30
a.m. Monday.
The chamber has been
juggling its events and
projects along with the
move, debuting its
5-Minute Networking
events and keeping up
with ribbon cuttings and
new partners, said
Tonya Matthews, vice
president of
communications.
“Scott, Murphy and
Daniel handled a
challenging project
well,” Matthews said.
Matthews said the
concrete for the front
of the building was
supposed to be poured
last
Thursday, but the cold
weather dampened the
plans.
The builders then
decided it would be
better to pour the
concrete on Monday, but
there
was one problem – that
was the same time the
chamber was getting
furniture delivered,
according to Matthews.
“So they built a
bridge,” Matthews said,
so that both tasks could
be completed
simultaneously – the
concrete can dry and the
furniture can be rolled
in.
Amanda Johnson, office
manager for the chamber,
said a project that
could have been
very frustrating has
worked out.
“It’s coming together
really well,” Johnson
said.
Friday, a courtyard of
mostly dirt was turned
into a beautiful
landscape in just a few
hours, and the front
lobby’s terrazzo floor
received its final
scrub-down.
“When you consider how
the business community
in Bowling Green and
southcentral
Kentucky stepped up to
make this dream become a
reality, it’s really
overwhelming,”
said Jim Hizer,
president and CEO for
the chamber. “We’re so
blessed because we have
great volunteer
leadership in the
community. They were
bound and determined
from the
beginning that this
would be great and
reflect the progressive
nature of the community.
“I’ve seen a lot of
chamber buildings in my
career and I’ve never
seen one finer than this
one. As a community, we
should be proud.”
On Wednesday, the
chamber received some
help from a group of 17
young people and
three adults from
Broadway United
Methodist Church, who
were spending their
spring
break helping with
various community
projects.
“They were here and they
were a blessing,”
Johnson said. “They
helped us get that
whole building packed in
a few hours. It was
amazing.”
Matthews said old
documents may be donated
to the Kentucky Museum,
many going
back to the ’50s and
even earlier, since the
chamber lost boxes of
pictures that matted
up after drying from the
3 inches of water that
flooded the chamber in a
hail storm years
ago.
The technological
infrastructure for the
new 15,000-square-foot
building features
high-tech
security, surveillance,
keyless entry, lighting
and climate-control
systems based on
the Hitcents’ EyeOn
software. Because of
that, the chamber’s
building will have
automated conference
rooms that include
projector screens.
Donations from Houchens
and about 200 other
chamber partners total
more than $2.8
million for the
construction of the
building.
On May 10, the Bowling
Green Area Chamber of
Commerce will be
auctioning off its old
furniture, including
chairs, pictures, the
chamber’s boardroom
table and other large
pieces of furniture.
“Since we’re not taking
any of the furniture,
it’s a quicker
move,”Johnson said.
The auction is scheduled
to begin at 1 p.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2007 News
Publishing LLC (Bowling
Green, KY) |
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