Thursday, December 14 was the 2023 annual meeting of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce at the Ozark Cafe. The meeting was well attended with chamber members welcoming Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Austin Booth. Booth delivered a wonderful presentation and took several questions from the crowd before heading back to Little Rock with a beautiful Boxley Elk photo on canvas by Don Nelms presented to him by the Chamber of Commerce. Â
Chamber Director Toinette Madison shared some statistics on Chamber activity over the past year, some of which included more than doubling the Chamber membership over 2022 and distributing over 17,000 Nature’s Paradise Visitors Guides produced by the chamber each spring. The guide is distributed among all the Arkansas Welcome Centers, and various businesses, as well as being mailed to individuals who request information about the area. The chamber receives requests for the guides daily.  The report included numbers on social media growth in the last year and the development of a new Newton County site that connects cabin, RV, campground, and motel owners with prospective visitors. QR codes that lead lookers to the new site will be included on the 2024 Nature’s Paradise Visitors Guide due out in the Spring and were included on the Newton County Arkansas Back Road Atlas Map, also developed and distributed by the Chamber of Commerce this year. Â
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The Chamber Board of Directors were finalized at the Thursday nightmeeting, the 2024 Chamber Board of Directors are Lauren Cannon, Arkansas Game And Fish Commission, Ponca Nature Center, Regena Cochrane, Walnut Grove Cabins, Victoria Davidson, Legacy Hospice of North Arkansas, Sandy Swayne, Red Rock Retreat, Philip Buss, Christian Bookstore Jasper, Mike Boyce, Boyce Insurance Services, Chuck Boaz, Dogwood Springs Campground, Tammy Hocut, Paisley Sister, Kris Jorgenson, Lost Valley Canoe & Lodging, Donny Stuart, Buffalo Wilderness Ranch, Leanna Zimmerman, Ozarkansas, Frances Zemlik, Buffalo River Holdings LLC and  Ben Bowser, Buffalo River Vacations. New member Tammy Johnston, Knotty Pine Cabin, was welcomed by members to fill a board seat vacated by the resignation of long-time chamber board member Vixen James, United Country Property Connections. Vixen served the last six years in the office of President and will be sorely missed. The executive officers of the 2024 board will be decided at a meeting of the board in January.
Now is the time to join the Newton County
Chamber of Commerce for the coming year to include your business in the visitors guide and chamber advertising. Check out newtoncountychamber.com, email us at info@newtoncountychamber.comor call 870-414-3924 for more information.
