Chamber dedicates building

Friday, 15 June 2012 by Matthew Girard

Belton Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Stephanie O’Banion (center) cuts the ribbon during the Chamber’s ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday. The Chamber was recently renovated to better serve visitors and the community.With dozens of friends and community leaders in attendance, the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce officially opened its renovated doors last Thursday with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"This day really culminates more than 10 years of planning and vision by so many different leaders, board members and citizens," BACC President and CEO Stephanie O'Banion said. "We're excited to open up the door to the community."

The renovations began nearly six months ago and feature a new Visitor's Center along with more storage space, a conference room and work rooms for the Chamber's staff.

The renovations also included making the building Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and the façade matching the look of City Hall.

The city partnered with the chamber for the renovations and City Manager Sam Listi said the city is excited to take advantage of the renovated chamber building.

"It's a major transformation of the building, but the purpose was to provide for a place that welcomes visitors and citizens to come and take advantage of what Belton has to offer," Listi said. "We're excited about the opportunity of being a partner with the Chamber on the project."

After nearly six months of renovations, the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed the public to their new layout last Thursday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, O'Banion thanked everyone for their hard work on the renovations and is excited about the new space.

"We are able to work more efficiently," O'Banion said. "The building stays very welcoming because have great storage rooms now and work rooms where they should be. It's the same square footage, but a much more efficient use."

After being housed in the S.O.S. Leadership building on Central Avenue for nearly six months, the chamber staff moved back into their building the first week of April.

Listi said the "welcoming atmosphere" will help draw people into Belton from the Interstate.

"It makes a statement about the community that we recognize the value of welcoming people," Listi said. "It's also a statement that we recognize the importance of tourism dollars and that we want people to come and check us out."

For more information about the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce and its services, call (254) 939-3551 or visit www.beltonchamber.com.

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