You may be aware that there is now a Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce. You may not know that the new chamber has a face.
Brought on board in September, Amani Ellen Loutfy is the chamber's interim executive director. Charged with getting the nascent business organization up and running, Loutfy's position runs though January. She has an ambitious list of tasks she wants to accomplish in that time, as well as considerable confidence that she'll be able to pull it off.
Having an actual paid director is a significant step for the re-established chamber. When the last chamber folded two years ago, one of the reasons cited for its demise had to do with the lack of professional staff. An all-volunteer organization, that chamber had evolved to the point where too few people were trying to do too many tasks.
With the city's adoption of the Broadway Action Plan last summer, and with it city funding of $125,000 toward Broadway improvements, recreating the chamber became a practical reality, one referenced in the plan. Having a paid executive director was a logical and necessary step.
Loutfy is no stranger to working with and starting nonprofit organizations. She has a lengthy resume of community involvement. She had a media tech position at KOUW, was the director of public relations at Static Factory Media. She's worked in sales and with numerous arts and community organizations, including Cirque du Flambe, the Burning Man Project, Ignitions NW and the Fremont Public Association.
A local artist, she was instrumental in creating the Seattle Memorial Temple Project in honor of the victims of the March 25 Capitol Hill shooting. Staged in the Seattle Center in July, the piece was later taken to the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. Such a range of experience and affiliations make navigating the finer points of getting the chamber off the ground come as second nature.
Getting a new organization up and running is always a difficult proposition. For the new chamber, Loutfy faces the specific challenge of getting businesses interested and convincing them its in their best interests to join. It's a new organization. The membership ranks start at exactly zero.
"We're up against member apathy as well as a bit of a negative attitude from the old chamber," she said. "Many prospective members are taking a wait and see attitude. But this works to make us stronger in the long run. We've asked a lot of questions about what didn't work in the past. Many new people are talking to us now and we're learning a lot."
Part of her task is to let businesses know that the chamber exists and that can be of benefit to them. Results have been positive in terms of reaction, though businesses have yet to sign on the bottom line. For one thing, Loutfy and the chamber board is still developing the group's bylaws as well as designing membership rates and levels. Committees need to be defined. Responsibilities need to be delineated.
On a positive note, office space has been located just off Broadway on East John Street, next to Twice Sold Tales. It's been a long time since the chamber had a physical presence on the Hill. Moving into an actual office will be a dramatic step, one Loutfy expects to take by the end of the month. Along with the Jump Start cleanup event held last month, having a physical presence on the Hill helps announce that the new chamber is a real and growing concern.
"Our communication has to be clear. We need to let members and the community at large know what we're about," she said. "People seem very interested, but they want to see that we're for real and not just something vague to talk about. They want to be sure it's not a lost cause. I'm here to tell them that it's not."
Loutfy is also working on getting the chamber's Web site on-line. Given the technological era we inhabit, Loutfy said the site needs to, and will be, far more than a static Internet marker. She's planning for a great deal of interactivity on-line. The site could be launched by the end of the year.
Work on the chamber dovetails with a Broadway retail strategy study that is also funded from city money. The goal is to create a vibrant business organization, one that can focus on public safety, cleanliness, business promotion - the things that concern business owners. Such issues have considerable importance given the wave of development on Broadway and Pike-Pine.
Her days are very busy. Fortunately, she said, she's very good at multi-tasking.
"There is a lot to do by the end of January," she said. "We want people to feel good about joining. I want to give businesses the sense that this is a new and progressive organization."
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@capitol hilltimes.com or 461-1308.
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