New chamber of commerce chief Suzanne Mitchell is urging more business bosses to sign up.
She replaced Lee Medd as the Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of Commerce membership services manager and has immediately launched a recruitment drive.
Suzanne, 54, who previously worked in hotels and was a hospitality boss at the town’s Cairndale Hotel, is delighted to take up her new post.
She said: “I had been working in hotels since I was 18 and was at the Cairndale for 22 years.
“Now I am looking forward to my new role here in the chamber of commerce and my first target is to increase the membership.
“And I also want to ensure the members are getting the benefit of their membership. Some of these benefits include the obvious networking opportunities and another is the business-to-business discount.
“We also provide free information and help with issues such as human resources, tax matters, legal advice and health and safety.
“That is all part of the membership.”
Another big task on her list is the Dumfries and Galloway Business Awards night.
She said: “It will be held on April 1 at the Easterbrook Hall in the Crichton and tickets are on sale now for £50 with some special entertainment which we are keeping secret just now.
“Normally the event was every two years but because of the pandemic it has not been held for three years. So I am busy with that at the moment plus signing up new members.
“We have about 150 to 200 members just now and I would like to add to that from small businesses to self-employed people who run their own company. Another plan is to take the chamber of commerce’s meetings and dinners across the
region.
“We cover the whole area of Dumfries and Galloway and it will be nice to have events at venues throughout and bring business to them as well.
“Our catch phrase is that we are run by businesses for businesses.
“We have a board of 10 and the president is Kenny Bowie who is head of planning in ScottishPower. That’s his day job.”
Brought up in Cheshire, Suzanne moved to Dumfries in 1998 and has been here ever since.
She said: “I love the area. I travelled around England working in different hotels then settled in Dumfries and you hear about a lot of people who have come to the area on holiday and loved it so much they’ve stayed.”
