By APRIL STONE / Community Columnist

“If we’re growing we’re always going to be out of our comfort zones.” John Maxwell

I arrived at the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce in February 2013, and I was excited about the prospect of working with a small Chamber and making a real impact on someone’s day-to-day business.

I’ve spent the last two years learning the area and the fantastic business community.

The South Shelby Chamber of Commerce serves some of oldest settled areas of this county.

This area of the county has seen its beginning and now it is poised to embrace its future.

The South Shelby Chamber of Commerce wants to assist in shaping the future of the southern region of Shelby County.

The communities of Chelsea, Columbiana, Harpersville, Westover, Wilsonville and Vincent have the unique situation of still having room to grow!

Each community has a very active mayor and city council looking at their collective futures and deciding what they want to see in their communities.

When you think of this area of Shelby County, certain words come to mind: Lots of land, opportunity, and most importantly, “the next area of growth in Shelby County.”

As the local economy continues to recover, the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce wants to be at the forefront of economic development endeavors.

We will be working together to quantify the region in terms of key economic development metrics:

-Population (people living in this region)

-Workforce (people available to work in this region)

-Employment (people working in this region)

-Data on companies (number, size, etc.)

In 2015 we will be working with these communities to develop a formalized plan and will be sharing updates throughout the year.

We invite you to join us and be part of this work.

April Stone is the executive director of the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce and can be reached at director@southshelbychamber.com.