Two become into one: Crawford County chambers merger still on track for January

Changes are well underway to facilitate a seamless merger of the Bucyrus and Galion-Crestline chambers of commerce.

It was announced in February the two would merge by January 2025.

“The merger represents an important milestone as we recognize that our organizations are better together,” said James Patrick, board chair for the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce.

The boards of each chamber announced a new leadership structure in May, and Casie Grau will be at the helm of the newly formed Crawford County Chamber of Commerce as the executive director.

Grau and Jarvis named to leadership positions

Beth Anne Jarvis, who is the interim director of the Galion-Crestline Chamber, will continue in a leadership role as the new assistant director at the Galion-Crestline Chamber location.

“In moving toward my new role as the assistant director, I'm excited to continue working out of our Galion office while collaborating with leaders and businesses across the entire county, ensuring the success of all our local businesses and organizations. I cannot wait to see what our team will be able to achieve on behalf of our community,” Jarvis said.

The board members cite Grau's and Jarvis' work ethics and dedication to the community to successfully transition the newly formed chamber into the next chapter.

Bucyrus, Galion-Crestline chamber merger aims to broaden support and benefits

“The intent of the merger is to share resources in order to provide broader support and benefits to all of our members. While the merger represents the community coming together, our goal is to highlight the unique characteristics of each community that we serve in order to attract and sustain businesses within these communities,” Grau said. “Each community is special and unique and we want to highlight these characteristics while moving forward as a united front. Essentially, what makes us individually distinctive makes us communally stronger.”

She said there will still be a board of directors and that the staffing structure will be the CEO/executive director, an assistant director at each location and two part-time assistants.

Grau said a search for a part-time administrative assistant and the assistant director at the Bucyrus location is underway and Heather Martin will continue to serve as one of the part-time assistants, focusing on events and marketing. The other part-time administrative assistant will focus on clerical, accounts receivable and accounts payable tasks.

“We are continuing to move Crawford County forward with a focus on benefiting and advocating for our members. I’m so pleased to be a part of this movement while working strategically with impactful leaders like Beth Anne Jarvis, Heather Martin, our Board of Directors and community partners,” Grau said.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Two become into one: Crawford County chambers merger still on track for January