Chamber launches ‘Conway 2025’ long-range strategic planning

The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce intends to set the city’s priorities for the next 15 years, starting with a community survey launching today.

The survey can be found online at www.Conway2025.com, and paper copies will be available at kiosks that will be placed at several local locations. Survey results will be collected until Jan. 31.

“To succeed in the future, we need a plan,” chamber CEO Brad Lacy said in a news release. “Conway has been blessed with a healthy economy and a high quality of life for years. However, we are a growing city with new challenges.”

The effort is being led by a steering committee composed of seven Conway residents with experience ranging from business to education to health.  

“This steering committee is a cross section of what makes Conway great: our citizens,” Lacy said in the release. “The committee has members new to Conway and those who have lived here their entire lives. The Chamber thought it was important that Conway2025 be community-led. Our role is to make sure they have the staff and resources to do the job.” 

The survey results will be used to form citizen-led “sector groups,” which will create goals and objectives for the issues deemed most important to those who participated in the survey. The Conway2025 plan is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2010, after which it will be presented to the Conway City Council.

Members of the Conway2025 Steering Committee are:

• Charles Nabholz, 73, chairman of Nabholz Construction, born and raised in Conway;

• Greg Hunt, 32, president/principal broker with Sandstone Real Estate, moved to Conway in 1996;

• Susan O’Keefe- 39, homeschool educator of two children, fitness instructor at Conway Regional Medical Center and Hendrix College, director of the University of Central Arkansas Honeybears, dance team, UCA faculty (instructor of broadcast announcing), Women’s Inc. contributing writer, moved to Conway in 2006;

• Courtney Leach, 27, director of Community Connections non-profit, mother of two, moved to Conway in 2000 to attend UCA;

• Julie Adkisson, 55, full-time volunteer, moved to Conway in 1981;

• Charlotte Green, mid 30’s, Principal at Woodrow Cummins Elementary, mother of two, moved to Conway to attend UCA;

• Dr. Greg Kendrick, 40, hospitalist at Conway Regional Hospital, father of three, born and raised in Conway.

(This report was compiled using information from the Conway Chamber of Commerce. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit.)