A native of the Roanoke Valley, Jill Sluss worked in the marketing and communications industry for 25 years holding positions in radio, education, television and international customer service. The executive board of the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce named her its executive director earlier this year. The Roanoke College graduate is this week’s Q&A participant.
How did you become the executive director of Salem – Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce?
I have a background in television and radio, along with event planning, communications for higher education, and international customer service which spans more than 25 years. My current position as the executive director of the Chamber allows me to take all of that experience and apply it on a daily basis. I’ve also been so fortunate to develop so many wonderful contacts along the way, some that I have worked with for years and in fact, many are former co-workers. Business contacts are crucial to any business and the Chamber is no exception. I am truly honored to be the executive director and it is rewarding to be able to be the face of the organization and to be able to promote our local businesses. It doesn’t matter if the business is small or large, we appreciate all of them as they are all members and have chosen to invest in our Chamber.
What does an average week look like for you?
One thing that I love about this position and working for the Chamber is that there is no “average” week or even an average day. Literally, each day is an opportunity and is a new challenge. My employees and I say that we absolutely learn something every day. There are so many aspects to planning our events (we have one every 6-8 weeks), and maintaining and attracting new members. All of us who work for the Chamber share our passion for building business relationships and organizing community events.
Talk about your education background. Where did you go to school?
I am a graduate of Roanoke College. I majored in Sociology with a Concentration in Communications. I also completed 5 media internships while there and those experiences in addition to my academic education gave me a great basis for my career in communications. The first of those internships was with WDBJ7 in the Promotions & Programming Departments. My first duty was to represent the station at the Salem Fair and from that moment on, I knew that I wanted to choose the Communications career path!
What are some benefits of joining the chamber?
The greatest benefit is that it is an avenue to increase sales for a business. Our Mission Statement is: “To create, promote, develop and support quality business opportunities in the Salem and Roanoke County Community.” Once an individual, business or organization joins our Chamber, we invite them to become involved. They may do this by networking with other members through our ribbon cuttings and grand openings, networking breakfasts, business owner’s roundtable luncheons, and business after-hour events. Networking also takes place at our signature community events which include our Business Showcase, Annual Gala, Blue Ridge Kite Festival, Classic Golf Tournament, Kegs & Barrels Wine & Craft Beer Festival, the Salem Christmas Parade, and Gingerbread Festival. They may also join one of our event committees or become a Chamber Ambassador which often leads to being a board member.
Other benefits include the opportunity to promote their business for free in our monthly electronic newsletter that is sent to roughly 1,700 individuals on the first business day of each month.
All members receive access to our Chamber Master program. Using this, members can post job opportunities, member-to-member benefits, their own events on a detailed calendar, pay for their membership dues, register for events, and update their information themselves all in one place.
We also promote members on our social media pages for free. For example, if a local business is having a sale this weekend, we can repost their information on our platforms as a benefit of their membership. We recognize that for many businesses, marketing is something that they don’t have the manpower or time to devote to it so we want to help our members as much as possible. As another example, when we organize a Chamber ribbon cutting or open house for a member, we send a news release in advance to local media, the local economic development office, dignitaries and elected officials in addition to inviting the public through our electronic newsletter, E-Blasts, and social media promotion. The attendance for these events vary but we have seen anywhere from 25 to more than 100 recently. This is a wonderful turnout!
Are there any upcoming events and/or programs that you are excited about?
I am excited about all of our events and programs, but in particular, I am looking forward to the Chamber’s next Signature Community Event, our Kegs & Barrels Wine & Craft Beer Festival this Saturday at Green Hill Park from 3-8PM. This event was formerly known as the “Wind and Unwind” Festival that has been held in the fall. This year, we are going to have 10 wineries, along with 20 craft beer taps. Local band, The WORX will be playing from 5:30-7:30. We also have several food vendors that will be offering delicious food choices and we will have arts & crafts vendors as well. Tickets are available on our website (www.s-rcchamber.org) in advance for $20 each or $25 each the day-of. Kids 15 and under are free, while kids 16 and up can purchase non-tasting tickets for $10 each. We are most grateful to Business Solutions, Inc., our Diamond Sponsor and Virginia Health Alliance, our Platinum Sponsor.
The Chamber program that I am most excited about is our Job Shadowing Day in conjunction with Salem City Schools and Junior Achievement. We have been working with Curtis Hicks, Assistant Superintendent, along with a committee comprised of a group of our members who are also key business leaders in the community to organize this day on Wednesday, October 25th. The seniors at Salem High School will either be visiting a college of their choice or job shadowing with a local business. This may be on an individual or small group basis. This will not be just taking a tour of a business but will be spending the major portion of the day with someone in the community who works in a field that they have a strong interest in pursuing. Our goal is for this to make a huge impact on the lives of many seniors and that it leads to some career decisions being made that day.
What books on history have you read that you would recommend to others?
I enjoy reading about local history so I am currently reading Salem: A Virginia Chronicle by Norwood C. Middleton. I had the pleasure of interviewing him many years ago while interning for Leisure Media. I so enjoyed speaking with him!
How can people learn more information about the Salem Chamber of Commerce?
Our website would be the greatest resource (www.s-rcchamber.org), but in addition to that, we are very active on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn).
What are some things you like to do in Salem?
We are so fortunate to live in Salem. I enjoy all of the choices that we have for restaurants and coffee shops, as well as the array of places to shop. We also have beautiful parks which are great places to relax. Each summer, I attend the Salem Fair multiple days to have fun with my kids. In addition, on Friday nights during football season, I am in the Salem Stadium cheering our team on and listening to my husband, Jeff, who happens to be the “Voice of the Salem Spartans!”
What is your earliest Salem memory?
Definitely spending time at Lakeside Amusement Park. I have especially enjoyed taking my kids to the Salem Museum exhibit which gives them a great sense of what it was like. They were amazed to find out that we had that in Salem!
If you could go back and give an 18-year-old Jill some advice, what would you say?
I would say, “Everything that you aspire to and want in life is out there waiting for you. Trust in your faith and hold on tight! You are in for an amazing and most interesting journey!”
-Compiled by Shawn Nowlin
