‘Welcome Service Program’ Returns to Pagosa

One program that will be new to the Chamber in 2021 will be the resurrection of — and a variation of — the traditional Welcome Service Program. This program was a huge success in this community for many years, operated as a private enterprise. The past owners moved away and the “business welcoming outreach” ended. With an influx of new residents, the Chamber has decided to revive this program and offer our new residents insights into the services and businesses that are most sought after upon relocation.

Any Chamber business may join the program. We will be creating a brochure with the participating businesses, their location on a map and some important service phone numbers that new residents can easily reference. The first printing will allow for the first 40 businesses to respond. After that, we will create a waiting list for interested businesses. Are you a restaurant that is looking to attract new clientele, how about a cleaning service, bank, insurance company, doctor or dentist office, accounting or internet provider? Perhaps your retail establishment would like to attract newcomers to your store and encourage them to shop local or a home décor store to help furnish their new home. Most of the businesses offer a discount or special service.

The newcomer will receive this specially targeted piece sent to new residents. They will have your “coupon” on the sheet with your business logo and your offer to newcomers. It will be easy for you to track these coupons to see the effectiveness of this outreach for your business.

The cost is very reasonable for the year and the process to sign up very simple. Just contact Rick Artis, membership coordinator of your interest in the program. He will walk you through the simple steps to sign up. If you would like to participate in the program and are not a Chamber member, Rick can also help you sign up as a member and create a payment plan that will work with your budget. We should be rolling this program out in January, so sign up now to get your business listed. Contact Rick at info@pagosachamber.com or 970-264-2360.

We will also soon be reaching out to newcomers to Pagosa who have arrived the past few months to engage them in the program and extend a thank you for investing in our community. Target your business to this select group of people who have moved to Pagosa and are looking for services on a long-term basis as they are now residents.

Contact the Chamber at 970-264-2360 for more information on this exciting program.

Mary Jo Coulehan

Mary Jo Coulehan is Executive Director of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce, and also serves on a number of local and state boards.