Project Description
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce is a 501 (c) 6 not-for-profit association comprised of private, public, + non-profit organizations in the Springfield, Eugene, + surrounding communities. The Chamber offers programs + services to strengthen, represent, + promote business throughout the region.
The Springfield Magazine + Directory is Springfield’s premier Visitor Guide and Membership Directory resource, an annual publication distributed to 750+ Chamber Member businesses + throughout the region. The magazine lists Chamber business contact information + features articles, maps, + info highlighting the city’s history + achievements.
Role(s): Project Manager, Content Planner, Photographer, Writer, Vendor + Advertising Manager
Deliverables: Editorial design, photography, marketing materials
Work Involved
My tenure at the Chamber honed my skills in stakeholder engagement, media relations, + storytelling. I participated in planning + administering the Chamber’s public relations program for over three years, including the distribution of press releases + publicly-available publications. Such publications included The Bottom Line + this annual Magazine + Directory, one of the largest projects I managed.
The scope of this project included overseeing all copy, including writing + editing articles to ensure cohesion with guest articles from community partners (such as Willamalane and the City of Springfield), in addition to photography, art direction, vendor relations with our printer, advertisers, + design consultant agency, + marketing efforts upon project completion.
Approach + Objectives
Each year, I pursued + identified engaging stories featuring businesses, organizations, or individuals in the community making an impact (+/or other newsworthy topics), writing + compiling multiple articles under various themes connecting back to the overarching theme of “Bold Vision, Classic Values.”
I worked closely with the Chamber team to hone in on what stories + photos we wanted to highlight each year, through a highly collaborative editing process that involved printing all pages to sift through, rearrange, + make notes, for a highly detailed revision process.