Dear Friends,

Last week I went to my very first spin class. If you are laughing, it’s because you know me well enough to know that I am not the most coordinated person, nor do I feel I am at the “top” of my game, athletically speaking. Yes, you can find me before dawn most days at My Home Gym, on the elliptical or doing some weights, but a high impact spin class? Isn’t coordination sort of a prerequisite for that kind of activity? Shouldn’t they test my ability before they let me actually do this class?

I am very happy to share that not only did I survive, but I really enjoyed it! It’s done without any lights on, which means you spin in a cloak of darkness, and a black light. This setup provides just enough invisibility that you don’t feel like your classmates (or more importantly the instructor) can really see what you are doing. Other than toppling over or getting my foot caught and falling over, my biggest fear was being called out for not doing it right, fast enough or correctly! I did ok for my first class and I’m pretty proud of myself.

If you have never taken a spin class, the object is to ride fast, slow down, get up, sit back down, and turn the tension up and down … for 45 minutes you literally spin in your heels and don’t achieve much of anything. I mean yes, you have drank about a gallon of water, have never sweat so much in your life and your legs feel like jelly, but you don’t go anywhere. What a concept and a frustrating activity, if you think about it. Like with any physical activity, the “results” come later. Even now, nearly 24 hours later as I write this, I can feel my arms begin to ache, my neck is a little sore as is my lower back and my calves. All signs that I had a good workout yesterday!

It got me thinking about things we do in life, and in business, that do not seem like we are making progress because the proof can be sooooo slow. Progress rarely shows in leaps and bounds. Sometimes the results are so miniscule, that it takes looking backwards to see how far you’ve actually come.

Last month, the Commerce Chenango Board of Directors made the decision to begin a Strategic Planning process, with the assistance of local company, Action Collaboration. As part of the research stage, we put out a public survey, asking for input about our organization. Whether you are a community member, a member of the chamber, a non-member, past member or a group or individual that we work with and collaborate with - we are asking for your anonymous feedback.

I have been really happy with the responses so far, and have appreciated the honest comments about our organization. We made some intentional changes last fall, and overhauled this organization from the ground up. Some of the changes were visible. Our logo, our new tagline, (“Moving Chenango Forward” - that everyone seems to have adopted), a new website, a new member management system and a new focus on self-promotion and community outreach.

It was so frustrating to be at an event, or meeting and the person I talked to would scrunch up their face quizzically and say “So, Commerce Chenango … what do you do?”, “Is that the Chamber?”, or “What is Commerce Chenango?” It was unbelievable to me that an organization that has been around for over 60 years seemed to have no brand awareness or even a local understanding of who we are and what we did. It was early on in 2020 (pre-pandemic) that I pulled the staff together and said, “This is a problem. How can we change this?”

It can be confusing. There are many activities and functions that under our Commerce Chenango umbrella. We have our hands in a lot of things, and we haven’t always been the best at sharing what we do. Many times, we are the invisible hand that guides a project, idea or even advocacy efforts. Our team is dedicated, and we rarely say no when asked to help with a project. We do our best to stay on mission and on brand, it can be difficult sometimes, especially because at the root of our organization, we just want to make a difference.

That is why this strategic plan is so important to our organization’s future. It’s easy to get pulled in every direction when you show that you can get things done, and everyone is asking you to support their cause. It’s a great problem to have, but we are a nonprofit with a small staff and as much as we want to help everyone, we are only human. I mean, I am pretty sure everyone that works for me is human, but I haven’t asked, and it’s really none of my business. Anyway, the point is that we need to set some priorities and goals for our organization so we can ensure we are being as impactful, and effective as possible, with our team and with the communities we serve.

We have come a long way from when I first started here in August 2019. I am amazed at the progress we have made, despite the global pandemic and detours we’ve had to take along the way.

The survey responses so far is proof that we have made the right decisions, have focused on the right things, and that we can make a difference in Chenango County. However, I also know that there is more we can do, and we need your help to find out what our next few years will look like. If you haven’t done so yet, please take part in our survey which can be found on our social media page and on our website: commercechenango.com, right on the home page.

Progress can be slow, but sometimes that’s the best way. You need to look at your history, what you have done right, what you could have done differently, and really take stock in what is important.

Today my arms may be sore, my neck is stiff and my calves are screaming, but I know with perseverance and some discipline, it will all be worth it. At least, that’s what will get me to go back next week for another class. Maybe this time I will bravely wear something light colored so I can really glow!

Spin on, Chenango.

~ Kerri