As the president of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce Board, the most important goal for Jeremy Hughes this year is to continue to drive up membership.
“We want to make people aware of what is going on around them,” Hughes said. “Sometimes you can become so involved in the bubble that you are in, you may not get outside of that.
“There is a lot of stuff going on in Arkadelphia.
Currently, there are 320 members at the chamber, including individuals, nonprofits and family-owned businesses.
“One of the things that I like a lot is the fact that [Hughes] is getting involved in the community,” said Marc Overturf, current vice president. “He is getting very involved in the community and is well respected.
“I think he is going to do a great job.”
Hughes was asked to be on the board two years ago. He served as vice president in 2017.
“One of the priorities of the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce is to ensure that its leadership represents the business community in the best light,” said Shelley Loe, executive vice president. “Jeremy’s experience as a business owner makes him perfect for his position on the board.”
Hughes said that as president, he works closely with the chamber and coordinates “a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff.”
“I make sure the general public is aware of what is going on in town, making sure people take advantage of advertising their business,” he said.
Hughes, who is originally from Hope, has been in the insurance business for close to 10 years, after graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business finance and marketing. After graduation, he moved to Texarkana, then relocated back to Arkadelphia in 2014. He currently works for Shelter Insurance.
“When I first took over my agency, I think Shelley came down and introduced herself,” Hughes said. “She asked me about being a member and [talked about] the benefits that come along with it.
“I thought that would be advantageous to my business, so I joined, and obviously, I’m in the sales and people business, so the more involved I can be, the better off I’ll be.”
Hughes said Arkadelphia has grown tremendously since his college days.
“Sometimes change is a good thing,” he said. “Arkadelphia has a lot going on right now, and that’s good.”
Being on the chamber board has helped Hughes be more involved in the city, he said.
“It is good to know what is going on in Arkadelphia and the surrounding area,” Hughes said. “You get involved and do a lot. It has been fun; I’ve enjoyed it.”
He said he has gained so much business by just attending ribbon-cuttings and Business After Hours events and meeting people. He said that has been the best benefit of joining the chamber.
“When you own your business, growth is never a bad thing,” Hughes said. “Why would someone not want to help their business grow? And by starting with the chamber of commerce, that is a great place to do that.
“The more involved you can be, the better off your business will be. Getting involved with a good group that is all about the community will just help grow your business.”
He said living in a small town like Arkadelphia, one might think it would be easy to meet everybody.
“But there is a whole group of people that you would never know, unless you came to the chamber functions,” Hughes said. “I think that it has been pretty beneficial meeting all different kinds of people.
“In my line of work where everybody needs insurance, the chamber works almost as free advertising. The amount of money you pay to be a member — you can’t put a dollar sign on that.
“It has been worth every penny.”
Overturf, who works as an architect at Twin Rivers Architecture in Arkadelphia, said that when Hughes’ name came up as a possible candidate for president, he agreed that Hughes would be a good fit.
“Our roles [as president and vice president] are to support the director of the chamber,” Overturf said. “We are an advisory board. We advise the director on what might be best for the chamber.”
He said the board is planning a trip to Ruston, Louisiana, to observe its chamber because the city is roughly the same size as Arkadelphia.
“And they are doing some good things,” Overturf said. “We want to go down there and visit and see if we can come up with some fresh ideas of how we can move Arkadelphia forward and be more of a benefit to our members.”
Overturf said he joined the chamber because, just like Hughes, he wanted to me more active in the community.
“This position allows me to be involved in the community and get insight into what goes on, and it’s also an opportunity to direct some activities,” he said.
“I just get to be involved and be helpful,” Overturf said.
“We want more people to take advantage of what the chamber does,” Hughes said. “We don’t want membership to be stagnant or decline, and one way to do that is for me and the board to stay involved.
“We need our board members to stay involved by going to all the functions around town.”
He said one way to do that is to encourage local business owners to attend ribbon-cuttings.
“They are real important because it makes you feel like people care,” Hughes said. “When I had mine, it made me feel good that people cared that I am here.”
Other good events to attend include the Business After Hours gatherings and the chamber banquet, which is scheduled for March.
“We also have a golf tournament in September, and that almost always sells out,” he said.
Overturf said it is sometimes tough to find volunteers like Hughes to serve on the board.
“But when we find someone willing to lead and serve, we want to get them in as quickly as possible,” Overturf said.
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.