Lisa B. Konicki in November was named the 2011 Chamber Executive of the Year for New England by the New England Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
As executive director of the Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce for 11 years, she has more than doubled the Chamber’s operating budget and the revenue needed to support it. She organizes dozens of annual events that literally bring in thousands of dollars to the Chamber and its members, such as an art show, a gift-certificate program and a river duck race.
She helped save downtown trolleys, began a welcoming campaign that gives free advertising to new businesses, made sure flowers brighten up the business district and she’s started a coalition for those engaged in revitalizing Main Streets across the region.
PBN: What is your top priority as director of the Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce?
KONICKI: I believe my top priority is making my members money or saving them money, plain and simple. They invest their dues with us, they entrust us with that investment and I believe it is my responsibility to see that they get a significant return on that investment.
PBN: How do you go about doing that?
KONICKI: There is nothing better than when I have the opportunity to write a check to one of my members, and we do a lot of that. We have a gift-certificate program here that generates more than $260,000 a year for our members. There are some companies that pay us $185 or $200 a year [in dues] and they get 10, 15 times that back in gift-certificate sales.
PBN: How does that program work?
KONICKI: We sell gift certificates year-round in denominations of $10, $25 and $50 and they can be used at any Chamber-member facility. So when you buy a gift certificate from us, we give you a list of all our members.
PBN: What is your secret to successful fundraising?
KONICKI: Sponsors and volunteers are key to successful fundraising. When I came to this job, I came up with events that were completely my own and that Westerly now enjoys these as signature events for our community. … Some have attendance of 15,000, 20,000 people. Our Pawcatuck River Duck Race makes about $45,000 for us, but it makes another $60,000 for all the schools and nonprofits that partner with us in that event. There’s the art festival each spring at Wilcox Park; we make about $25,000 over the course of a weekend.
It is important for a chamber of commerce to incorporate into its fundraising [the idea that an event] has to meet more than the simple objective of making money for the chamber. The events I like to create as signature events do three things: they have to promote the community image; they’ve got to generate sales for our members; and, at the same time, generate revenue to support the Chamber mission.
PBN: How can a chamber help obtain financing for small business?
KONICKI: One of the roles of a chamber is to help connect small businesses with financial resources and programs that might be out there. … It’s really not the role of the chamber of commerce to give out grant money.
We didn’t care if they were Chamber members or not. Our businesses were in need. People were hurting. Several of them [businesses] were just simply devastated. … Being able to hand out checks for $2,500 to small business owners was, I think, our Chamber’s finest hour.
PBN: Can you tell us about your efforts to revitalize downtown Westerly?
KONICKI: Last year, when there were a lot of empty storefronts downtown, I was deeply concerned about the turnover, people were retiring, business was slowing and the economy was really difficult. … I came up with a new business-stimulus package that is essentially a “welcome-wagon” package that contains over $3,000 in free advertising for people that establish a new business. You get radio ads, newspaper ads; you get ads in a monthly publication, in a biweekly publication, a free three-month membership in the Chamber and a three-month membership in our downtown business association.
PBN: The state is considering establishment of a toll at the Rhode Island/ Connecticut line along Interstate 95. Where does the Chamber stand on this proposal?
KONICKI: Our board voted unanimously to support the position of the town leaders in Richmond and Hopkinton to oppose the toll. We realize the importance of infrastructure improvements, but we cannot support a new toll in the Hopkinton area as a means to generate funds for the state transportation system. It is our hope that we can work together to find alternate and sustainable sources of revenue. •
INTERVIEW
Lisa B. Konicki
POSITION: Executive director of the Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce
BACKGROUND: Before taking the helm of the Chamber 15 years ago, she was director of membership services at the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce in Connecticut for three years. She also worked for the Mystic Community Center in Connecticut as director of marketing and special events for six years.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in communications from Central Connecticut State University; 1989
FIRST JOB: In the food-services department of Lawrence Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn., delivering trays of food to patients
RESIDENCE: Stonington, Conn.
AGE: 44