Aynor Area Chamber of Commerce
 Membership Meeting Minutes

Date: May 13, 2025

Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Location: The Rock in Aynor


Call To Order

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM by President David Dorman.

Attendees

• Richard Williamson – Core 1st Realty
• Sammie Lewis – Core 1st
• David Dorman – Palmetto Farms
• Martin Johnson – New South Botanicals
• Jaime Siratt & Allison Capps – Corner Outpost
• Trey Andrew – Coastal Land & Home
• Paulette Johnson – Truman Johnson Crop Insurance
• Mary Slavik – Echo
• Joey Skipper – Pilot Club
• Stephanie Owens – Conway National Bank
• Jeannie Doyle – Palmetto Fresh Market
• Charlene Huggins – DR. Horton
• Amber Jordan – Studio 507 LLC
• Kaylee Sanders – Capps Plumbing of SC, LLC
• Ryan Graham – HTC

Welcome and Opening Remarks

David Dorman welcomed attendees and shared opening comments about the Chamber’s revitalization after years of inactivity. Ryan Graham led the meeting and presented the Chamber’s vision, upcoming plans, and opportunities for member involvement.

Board Introduction

Introduction of the current board:

• David Dorman, President
• Sandy Davis, Vice President
• Emily Griffin, Treasurer
• Ryan Graham, Secretary
• Tray Andrew, Board Member
• Jamel Davis, Board Member
• Jill Dudley, Board Member
• Paulette Johnson, Board Member
• Sammi Jo Lewis, Board Member

Reactivation & Outreach

• The Chamber, inactive since 2018, began revitalization efforts in early 2024.
• The organization’s 501(c)(6) tax-exempt status, revoked in 2022, is in the process of reinstatement.
• The board has connected with neighboring chambers to gather input and share resources.

Website and Social Media Launch

The Chamber’s new website has launched:
www.aynorareachamberofcommerce.com

Membership Drive

Membership drive began in March 2025 with the following pricing:

• Individual/Non-Profit: $75
• Government/Education: $100
• Small Business (<10 employees): $150
• Large Business (10+ employees): $200
• Financial/Industrial/Utility: $350

Numerous businesses across various sectors have joined.

Chamber Value Proposition

Membership benefits include:

• Events & Networking
• Advocacy & Representation
• Member Support
• Marketing & Promotion
• Education & Training
• Community Integration

Proposed Chamber Initiatives

• Marketing & Promotion: Local business directory, “Shop Local” campaigns, member spotlights, Chamber gift cards
• Events & Networking: Monthly mixers, ribbon cuttings, public business showcases
• Education & Training: Skill-building workshops, mentorships, youth programs
• Advocacy: Policy involvement, business surveys, crisis and disaster planning
• Community Integration: Partnered events, beautification projects, tourism collaboration
• Member Support: Welcome materials, community outreach, business awards, mutual discounts

Open Discussion and Member Feedback

Following the presentation, Ryan Graham opened the floor to member input and discussion:

• Topics brought up by members included:
  • Launching ribbon cutting ceremonies for new or growing businesses
  • Increasing promotion of Chamber meetings through digital and print media
  • Creating YouTube videos featuring member spotlights and Chamber updates
  • Offering discounted rates for Chamber members participating in events like the Aynor Christmas Parade and Hoe-Down
  • Establishing meeting sponsorships, where members can display business materials and give a brief introduction or pitch
  • Hosting additional community events such as:
    • Movie in the Park evenings
    • Food Truck Fairs featuring local vendors

Continuing Education Interest Survey

A brief survey was conducted to identify topics of interest for future continuing education offerings.

• Members expressed interest in:
  • Social Media “How-To” Workshops
  • SEO Optimization
  • Social Media Advertising
• Additional suggestions:
  • Development of recruiting flyers or promotional packages to attract new members
  • Creation of a new member welcome package including:
    • Chamber-branded swag
    • Member window sticker
    • Membership certificate
    • Informational materials on benefits and resources

Special Thanks

A special thank you to Palmetto Farms for providing delicious snacks for attendees and contributing to a warm, welcoming meeting atmosphere.

Adjournment

• Members were thanked for their time and encouraged to stay engaged and involved.
• The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 PM.

Aynor Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting, March 13, 2025 at the Aynor Town Hall

Attendees: Emily Griffin, Sandy Davis, Paulette Johnson, Ryan Graham, David Dorman
Absent: Jamel Davis, Tray Andrew, Keb Johnson, Jill Dudley, Sammy Joe Lewis

Board Membership Updates

Paulette Johnson has joined the Chamber board. Her previous experience on the Chamber prior to its most recent dissolution and her marketing and technical background provides the Chamber real added value.

Online Presence / Marketing

Paulette provided updates to the board on previous marketing and social media efforts along with some of her capabilities to assist. She has secured the website domain and she still has access to the Aynor Chamber’s Facebook account.

Paulette encouraged the group to be thinking of Chamber Membership benefit opportunities to help excite the business community around becoming a chamber member.

Paulette agreed to begin working on some online membership sign up and payment links for businesses who might be interested or able to join easier with our online presence. Full website build will likely take some time, but with our membership drive underway, she is working to stand up a quick temporary online presence until our complete website is ready for prime time.

Chamber Membership Drive

The main purpose of the meeting was to launch into our 2025 membership drive. Ryan had taken the 2024 Town of Aynor Business License List and provided a recommended Chamber membership category for each business based on the categories and fee structure from last meeting. He also divided the list into 2 groups: Local and Non-Local businesses. Local businesses were those who’s offices were located in the 29511 or 29544 zip coded.

We agreed to take this list and divide it up amongst the board members so a board member could reach out to all local businesses on the list. We stepped through each business one-by-one and assigned a board member responsible for each business on the list. For all non-local businesses, we asked Paulette to draft a membership email along with supporting details to encourage our “out of town” business to join our chamber.

Each business on the list was then assigned a board member, and the list will be distributed electronically to the board as soon as reasonably possible.
Ryan provided updated hard copies of the 2025 Membership Application and Invoices to board members present.

Each member agreed to push through their list of businesses over the next 2 weeks and report back at our regularly scheduled meeting on March 27th. At that time, we will decide what our next wave of recruitment efforts might look like.

Chamber Business Details

David updated the board that he had indeed secured our previous mailbox number from the Aynor Post Office. It had not been reassigned to anyone. Our mailing address will be PO Box 175, Aynor, SC 29511

Ryan provided updated bank documents requiring signatures of the President (David), Vice President (Sandy), Treasurer (Emily), and Secretary (Ryan) as signators on the Aynor Chamber Operating Account at Anderson Brothers Bank.

Ryan reminded the group of our 501(c)6 status and that it would likely be mid-late summer before we heard anything back from the IRS.

Upcoming Meeting Dates

Team discussed and agreed, again, that we should use March/April to perform a membership blitz during the months of March and April. The following upcoming meeting date as were agreed to.

• March 27th: March Meeting – Focus on Membership Drive and Discussion on Bylaws [@Aynor Town Hall]
• April 24th: Board Meeting – Want to invite neighboring chamber (Conway, Loris, Marion) leaders to join us to share their experience. [Location TBD]\
• May 13th: Full Membership Meeting [@The Rock]

We discussed attending an upcoming council meeting during public input to share with council where we are.

Open Action Items

• Jamel – Follow up with his contact in Tim Scott’s office on help with our 501(c)(6) reinstatement status
• Ryan – Contact and invite Conway Chamber leaders to our April 24th meeting to provide some feedback
• Emily – Contact and invite Loris and Marion Chamber leaders to our April 24th meeting to provide some feedback
• Ryan – Follow up with Keb to determine his interest on the board
• Team – Membership drive and recruitment