Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
SALEM – In the short time Jacob Dufour has been at the helm of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, he has raised the profile of the chamber and many local businesses.
Dufour hit the ground running when he was named executive director of the Chamber last October. He has met with Chamber members and visited local businesses, often posting a photo after grabbing a bite at local cafes and restaurants.
“My focus is to put businesses first and promote our local businesses first,” Dufour said.
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce has been around since 1948 and currently has around 160 members. Dufour says there’s room to grow.
“Chamber membership in Washington County has seen some decline over the last few years. When I joined, I made it a priority to speak with as many members as possible to understand their experiences and satisfaction levels,” Dufour said. “These conversations made it clear that there were opportunities for us to better serve our local businesses, and I knew my top focus had to be building strong, supportive relationships with our members moving forward.”
A larger presence on the Chamber’s Facebook page and shifting to a warmer, neighborly style are making an impact.
“Sometimes I visit a business, take some selfies with the owner or staff, and share a friendly review about my experience,” Dufour said. “These posts have drawn hundreds of likes and tens of thousands of views, showing just how much people appreciate a human touch and celebrating our local businesses.”
New perks for Chamber members
Dufour is also working on a refreshed Chamber website and adding new benefits for Chamber members that truly support small-town businesses.
“While some past perks were helpful, we wanted to offer tangible, high-value benefits that make a real difference,” he said. “Together with the Board of Directors, we have developed a fresh lineup of perks including advertising discounts, one-on-one digital brand consulting, and even video production!”
Another upcoming change is the return of Friday Night on the Square, which will kick off Old Settlers Days in October. Dufour would also like to bring back monthly networking lunches as well as “coffee and chat” meet-ups where members can network and discuss upcoming events. A Women in Business luncheon is planned for spring and a cookie walk in the fall. The annual dinner, a Chamber tradition, will occur in November.
This new role at the Chamber deepens Dufour’s involvement with the Washington County community. A year ago he launched the Washington County Times, an online publication reporting local news. Dufour said starting a news website was not in his career plans, but he didn’t want the community to be without a source of locally generated and reliable information. In its first year, the Washington County Times grew its audience to 50,000 readers.
“A year ago, I was working in construction and desperately looking for a new career path. By some kind of divine providence, I happened upon the knowledge that the Salem Leader was going to be shutting down after 140 years of publication. Local news has always been very important to me – I believe that information is strength. And with news deserts becoming more and more widespread, I felt I had a chance there to provide something special to my community,” Dufour said.
Working with Editor-in-Chief Nathan Smith, Dufour said the Washington County Times has been well received by readers and receives great support from advertising sponsors. Soon, he plans to hire additional staff writers.
Dufour worked several years as an independent filmmaker. He is co-founder of Amor Domini Productions and said he acquired skills that have prepared him for leading the Chamber.
“Working in independent film, I learned a lot about content creation and marketing, and that’s been helpful,” he said.
Ultimately, his goal with the Chamber is to build an organization that strengthens the community and helps businesses succeed in a rapidly changing world.