The Chamber, Partnership, and Town Office: Keeping Farmville Happy, Functioning, and Thriving.

The Chamber, Partnership, and Town Office: Keeping Farmville Happy, Functioning, and Thriving.
 
 
Within the town of Farmville there are three major entities that are responsible for the upkeep, promotion and appearance of our favorite little town. The Town of Farmville, The Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Downtown Farmville Partnership all work to maintain the hustle and bustle of the downtown and surrounding area in order to keep the community’s businesses and members involved, functioning, and vibrant.
 
The Chamber of Commerce is one of the three important offices and organizations within the Farmville Area. Joy Stump, the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, and Jennifer Kinne, Marketing Director, work to ensure each member of the Chamber is represented to the community in the best way possible. Stump explained, “We strive to promote all the wonderful things that our members are involved in. This is an enthusiastic community with so much going on and we want to be sure everyone knows about it.  We also want to provide educational opportunities to our business leaders so they can continue to learn.” As for how the Chamber helps it’s members network and promote their businesses Stump also stated “We provide business referrals, networking opportunities, social media promotion, educational initiatives, listing on our website, and a community calendar to name a few!” The perks of becoming member of the Chamber are vast, as it is key in providing networking connections between members, heightens name/brand recognition through promotions, and instills a greater sense of community through a common goal of helping local businesses learn and thrive.
 
The Farmville Downtown Partnership is a non-profit organization under the supervision of the Virginia Main Street Initiative. “We want to make the downtown area of Farmville more dynamic,” through town beautification, business remodeling, and hosting local events. “We are not membership based like the Chamber [of Commerce], businesses do not have to pay to be a part of us. If they are located within the area that we represent they are automatically a member.” Burton explained.
 
“Where the Town is responsible for keeping Farmville up and running, we focus more on making the downtown area a more energetic and appealing place,” stated Burton. The end goal is to make Main Street as engaging to locals and tourists as possible in order to attract consumers, families, and businesses to the area. “How often do you really need to go antique shopping? We are here to show people that there is more [to do in the town],” Burton explained. “Because we are a completely non-profit organization means we have access to grants and resources that are not available to the Town or the Chamber.” Recently the Downtown Partnership held a fundraising event called SOUP through which they awarded three mini-grants to local businesses based on individual proposals to improve the area. “The Town and the Chamber have been a big support for the Farmville Downtown Partnership,” Burton stated, “ We all share the same goal of jointly benefiting the town.”
 
The Town Managers Office is another incredibly important office within the Town and is comprehensive to say the least. Where the Downtown Partnership focuses more on the vibrancy and growth of Main Street area and the Chamber promotes and networks local businesses, the Town keeps the whole place up and running.
 
In one building you can find the Treasurer’s office, Public Safety, Emergency Communications Operations Center, Public Works Department, Administrators Office, Treasurer, Farmville Police Department, and the Town Managers Office. Combined, these offices work to maintain the internal functions of the town.
 
Communications Specialist for the Town Managers Office, Kate Eggleston, noted the importance for these three entities to work together within the town stating, “It is important for the Town Office to support the Chamber and the Downtown Partnership as they draw new businesses into the town and keep local businesses here in order to further economic development.”
 
“[Town Manager,] Gerry Spates and I attend the Chamber meetings and Downtown Partnership meetings to stay abreast of what is going on within the town. We also co-host special events such as the Halloween Parade, movie nights at the Crute Stage on Main Street, and events at the [High Bridge Trail] Plaza with live music.” Eggleston referred to the Town Office as “the hub” where many of the decisions about what events, infrastructure, planning, and safety are made and authorized.
  
The Chamber, Town Office, and the Downtown Partnership work together on a project called The Heart of Your Adventure or, as Mr. Burton and Mrs. Stump both referred to it, “THOYA”. The goal of this organization is to promote local activities, classes, tourist sites, and businesses in the area. Stump elaborates, stating: “THOYA stands for The Heart of Your Adventure and it is a group consisting of one member from Prince Edward County, one member from the Town of Farmville, one member from Downtown Farmville Partnership, and myself.” This type of collaboration between these separate organizations and offices is a true testament to the strong sense of community that can be found within Farmville. We meet on a regular basis to work together to promote tourism in our community.” Stated Stump, “Many areas that don’t work together like we do have conflicts, so we meet to make sure we’re all working as a team to promote this area that we love.” Family, community ties, and a mutual love for small towns are what drive these three entities to work together in order to keep the town of Farmville happy, functional, and thriving.