Local Service/Tourism Business Owners Support Each Other Through Hospitality Meetups

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

In recent months, thoughtful, energetic, invested citizens from in and around Dade County formed a grassroots group focused on supporting each other and finding solutions to shared problems. The group’s gatherings are unofficially dubbed “Hospitality Meetups,” and the first two such meetings allowed the group to gather like-minded people (mostly from the service/hospitality/tourism sectors) and clarify vision and goals.

The group allowed the Sentinel to sit in on the March 19th gathering which was kindly hosted by Paul Cummings at his Wildwood property (The Valley Venues) with food provided by Scenic Dade.

A variety of people attended, including owners of venues, restaurants, vacation rentals, and local attractions; Sandy White and Patricia Cloud of the Alliance for Dade; several candidates for county positions; and friends/supporters of local businesses.

Kicking off the meeting, White announced three Alliance for Dade events. One (a tourism focus group) is specifically for invited businesses. Another (a customer service seminar) is free to all owners and employees of local businesses. A professional will speak about customer service on May 22nd. Contact the Alliance for details.

The third event (a tourism expo/trade show) is open to everyone. On May 18th, local eateries and attractions will be at the Dade Elementary School cafeteria from 3:30-6:30 p.m. for all to learn about what there is to do in Dade County.

Cummings then shared about his love for Dade County and encouraged the group to welcome new thinking and new ideas “without wasting wisdom.” He encouraged “possibility thinking” and a culture of entrepreneurship instead of “impossibility thinking,” saying, “Viewing everything as impossible will lead to stagnation. That will lead to decline, and that will lead to poverty, and that will lead to crime, and that will lead to people moving out of Dade County.”

He also discussed the reality of coming change. Pointing to the beautiful valley stretching out to Lookout Mountain, he said in amazement, “That’s my backyard! The creek, running through my backyard; the sunsets, beautiful every day, but change is coming, I’m telling you.”

Cummings explained that when he received an offer on his property, he asked the interested buyer about his plans for the land. The man wanted to build condominiums in Wildwood. In Cummings’ words, “Nope. Not today, not ever.” He never plans to sell the property, instead passing it down to future generations and protecting its peace and beauty, and he certainly would not sell it to someone who would build condos.

Noting that dealing with change is unavoidable for the county, Cumming said, “We have to bring energy today to get it right…We can either be a part of the change or get run over by it.” He believes that while still staying unique to Dade, the county can learn from other small towns that have active tourism sectors.

Ryan Faircloth (owner of the Groovy Nomad) added, “I think our biggest concern and question is, ‘How do we keep Dade County small and unique?’”

Jamison Griffin (president of Scenic Dade) then cast a vision for the culture of this group. He said, “We want to network with each other. We’re trying to create a one-anothering community of like-minded people who want to help generate progress. We want to sometimes be out in front, sometimes behind the scenes. We want to recognize what happens when we are a unified front.”

The individuals who are part of this group have committed to working together for positive change (instead of complaining) and thoughtfully discussing relevant issues (instead of gossiping).

Each table then broke into a workshop session to select and discuss one of the following questions posed by Griffin: What is a current obstacle within your particular business/entity that you need help with? What obstacles are you currently seeing in the community?

After about 20 minutes, each table presented a summary of their discussion, resulting in a list of obstacles that the group will work on overcoming and finding solutions to at future gatherings. Even over the course of this evening, some potential solutions came up and people offered ideas about next steps.

Some of the issues discussed were: space for parking/traffic flow, neighbor relations (respecting and being respected by neighbors), need for a list of what to do in Dade, need for a list of quality contractors/vendors, what to do with waste, unsightly/unsanitary litter, speeding around the Trenton square and increased semi-truck traffic (leading to a less pedestrian-friendly city), kitchen access required to serve food, inequitable regulations/subjective zoning, how best to communicate with customers (print, digital, etc.), how to attract tourists including Chattanoogans, and lack of county building codes except for plumbing and electrical.

Regarding a list of what there is to do in Dade and how to attract tourists, the Alliance for Dade offered some resources. White mentioned the Alliance’s visitor guide, maps, and activity itineraries. The Alliance also promotes tourism in Dade through a variety of means. Griffin also mentioned that Thrive Regional Partnership created a “regional treasure map,” and another participant suggested creating games/scavenger hunts around the area (using historical markers or other sites) to draw visitors.

Regarding the investment required to build a commercial kitchen, the solution of a ghost kitchen was mentioned. Also called “kitchen incubators,” these are shared, rental, commercial-grade kitchens that allow small businesses to prepare food without having their own kitchen. This idea has proven beneficial in other communities where non-restaurant operations want to occasionally serve food or food services want to test the waters before investing in a kitchen.

The issue of waste (trash, recycling, compost) and litter led to numerous responses. Several people said they would like to be a part of litter clean-up days. Some establishments are focused on green certifications and sustainable operations, so their goal is to find a way to recycle/reuse materials.

Wrapping up the evening, Griffin noted that a survey will be sent to the participants to help pinpoint how their time can best be used. He concluded, “What we don’t want to be is just sitting here talking. We want to help get things done.”

If this article resonates with you and issues your business faces and you would like to know more about potentially joining the group, contact Jamison Griffin (423-645-2399) or Ryan Faircloth (423-779-6918). The group is looking for others who can commit to ongoing meetings and collaborative conversations while maintaining a focus on positive solutions.