On a recent Wednesday, two months into the job, the executive director of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce hopped from a Power Connections luncheon at Brunswick Beer and Cider to various other local businesses on behalf of a new baseball team.
The team was still trying to settle on a new name – the Ghost Crabs, the Dinghies, the Fantom Flounders or maybe the Fishmongers? – as they were simultaneously building goodwill with their Jingle Balls holiday gift drive. But there was no question about the name of the man willing to help with their holiday charity push: Thom Kelly.
“Ask, and we will help get you that support,” Kelly said.
The adage about birds and stones comes to mind as Kelly constantly looks for ways to build mutually beneficial relationships. Having cofounded a coaching business led by his wife, he said he knows the challenge of filling out the appointment calendar.
“If somebody comes to me and says they just bought a new space and they need to repaint it and they’re trying to get price quotes, I will refer them to painters that are within my membership and make that connection and introduction to them,” he said.
Events like the chamber’s Power Connections lunches are a force multiplier. Held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, the members-only social time has historically generated about $2 million in referrals, according to chamber surveys.
Kelly, in collaboration with chamber president Shari Leone and the rest of the board, wants to find more ways, like the lunch, to bring people together in the new year.
“Right now, we do about five annual events here at the chamber,” he said. “I want to beef that up a little bit more and just get our name back out there. I’m not saying we’re doing that by ourselves, either. We’ll be making those strong connections with our local municipalities and partnering with them on their events as well.”
Initiatives he’s teeing up include expanding the chamber’s ambassadors program, spotlighting member businesses owned and operated by veterans, and rolling out a Blue Cross and Blue Shield option. The chamber recently joined the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, making the coverage possible.
Kelly noted that the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce also offers the insurance option. He doesn’t see Wilmington or the other chambers within the county as rivals, though.
“It’s more just about how we’re all supporting local business,” he said.
Brunswick is the fastest-growing county in North Carolina and one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. Kelly said his emphasis in the months ahead will be to see where he can support the towns of Leland and Belville.
“I anticipate building up the chamber membership and getting in front of these builders so that we don’t have to be so reactive,” he said.
Another of his aspirations for the new year is to add a versatile staff member. That might be an intern at first, Kelly acknowledged. For now, despite being a “one-man show,” he welcomes just about every opportunity.
“I’m the only employee here,” he said. “I collaborate quite a bit with the executive board, but they’ve got full-time jobs themselves.”
Kelly comes to the chamber from Live Nation Entertainment, where he continues to serve as the experience manager for Live Oak Bank Pavilion and Greenfield Lake Amphitheater and as a community outreach coordinator.
“My role is going to look obviously different there than it did last year, but I’m still going to stay involved with them,” he said.
His high visibility putting together a team for the most recent Alzheimer’s Association fundraising walk was his own personal power connection that led to the chamber position, he noted.
Giving back to the community through the concert producer and, before that, as the regional outreach coordinator for Gap clothing stores, which was an extension of his responsibilities as a district manager, is something that comes naturally to him. He said he’s had the tendency to roll up his sleeves and pitch in ever since college.
Now, at the chamber, that makes him the guy.
“My face is literally on everything right now, which is a little weird for me,” Kelly said. “But it’s also a lot of fun engaging with a lot of people and having a lot of small chats. That’s what really fuels me – being out in the community and seeing all of the good being done. I’m constantly inspired by what people are doing.”
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