Jaime Henning refocuses Greeley Chamber to help businesses in crisis times

As a new chamber leader, Jaime Henning of Greeley can personally relate to how small businesses have to pivot and adjust during the pandemic.

Henning took on the role of president and chief executive officer of the Greeley Area Chamber of Commerce in September 2019, six months before COVID-19 temporarily shut down and altered the operations of businesses across the state.

“I can relate to those businesses looking at things from fresh eyes because a new CEO does that essentially,” Henning said. “Doing what they always did isn’t an option now. They have to function in a new space.”

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Businesses often can become entrenched in their daily operations but in a crisis, they need to problem solve and be innovative, plus find new ways to market their offerings and reach their customers, Henning said.

“This is a time businesses need to double down on their marketing efforts and lean on organizations like the Greeley Chamber,” Henning said. “I watched them be resilient in how they’re thinking about redoing their business.”

The Greeley Chamber took several steps to reach out to its more than 700 members and other businesses through virtual offerings and resource guides that help them navigate the pandemic.

“Our goal was to make sure we aligned with the mission as an organization, which was to be a conduit of resources and information to our business community and to be a conduit for sustainability and recovery,” said Scott Warner, board chairman of the Greeley Chamber and president and CEO of Connecting Point Greeley. “Jaime did a great job of keeping all connected parties in the loop with what the chamber is trying to accomplish, while also being collaborative to find solutions not only for the business community but all of our connected communities. … She did a good job of delivering relevant information to our community and taking appropriate action where it can be taken.”

One such action was the Greeley Chamber leading a public-private partnership with the cities of Greeley and Evans and Upstate Colorado in Weld County to create the Greeley Area Recovery Fund. The partners and private donors raised more than $600,000 in gap funding in the form of grants for more than 75 Greeley and Evans businesses impacted by COVID-19. 

The chamber also created a new website, greeleytogo.com, that highlights local Greeley restaurants and their carryout, curbside and delivery services, as well as a marketing cohort of local marketing professionals telling Greeley’s story.

Another new offering is a digital chamber coffee, Greeley Common Grounds, that connects businesses with elected officials and business leaders for a discussion on issues and happenings in the community. The one-hour segments, which launched in March, are posted every other week on the chamber’s Facebook page. It gets about 20,000 views.

The chamber’s other virtual offerings include helping organize a weekly town hall meeting with information about business resources for Northern Colorado businesses and hosting membership get-togethers that include the chamber’s Leads and ambassador groups and the Young Professionals program. 

“We’re working on businesses coming back stronger than before,” Henning said. “We’re working together and collaboratively to make good things happen.”

To measure that strength, the chamber aligned with economic development regionally to conduct data surveys and engage in personal conversations with its members, asking how COVID-19 impacted businesses. 

“We’re taking a data approach to see if we are meeting the needs of business,” Henning said. “There are lots of best practices and programs that we offer for our members. A lot of other chambers are doing good work, and we can share in that, especially during COVID.”

The chamber worked with the city of Greeley and the Greeley Downtown Development Authority to centralize resources and other information for businesses, bringing together the data in one place on the chamber’s website. The list provides places where businesses can get assistance and who to contact.

“I’ve heard it said a lot that Greeley has grit and a lot of businesses work hard at what they do,” Henning said. “Most business is very self-sustaining, but being able to find helpers during this time is very important.”

Henning took the leadership position at the chamber because she wants to help businesses succeed and to be part of a community “on the move,” she said.

“From a leadership perspective, I was excited to take the helm and help Greeley step forward,” Henning said. 

Warner describes Henning as a caring leader who also is a bridge builder able to find solutions.

“She steps in and takes action right away. She does it in a way that promotes collaboration,” Warner said. “She loves this community, and I think that’s what incredible. She’s a transplant to Greeley, and she’s kind of adopted it as her own, which is really cool. She’s done a very good job of identifying the needs and ideals of the community, so she can be a champion of those.”

Henning has worked inside chambers for nearly 20 years, including as senior director of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce for 18 years in Lincoln, Nebraska, where she worked with other leaders and helped advance important issues, she said. She also was a founding member and director of Lincoln’s Young Professionals Group, which now has more than 1,800 members.

A Nebraska native, Henning earned a triple major in communication studies, corporate communications and public relations from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska, in 1999. She also was one of two Certified Chamber Executives in Nebraska and has served on the boards for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management. 

“I love being able to serve people, being able to help people and being able to meet new people, and all of that works really closely in my role at the chamber, so it makes it really rewarding,” Henning said. “I deeply care about our members, and I’ll work really hard for them.”