Chamber’s new business chief working the phones
♦ Pam Powers-smith is learning about Rome through the lens of the coronavirus pandemic.
The new Rome Floyd Chamber director of business and industry services has yet to settle into a physical office because of the COVID-19 emergency.
Nonetheless, Pam Powers-smith has been working the phones feverishly to make sure local industries know what help is available during these trying time.
Powers-smith comes to Rome from her post as president of the Opelika, Alabama, chamber.
She said Monday that both she and her sister have owned homes in Rome for some time and they moved their parents across the street this past winter.
“When this job opportunity became available I thought, ‘Do I need to look into it and see if this is the catalyst to get up there?’ And obviously it was,” Powers-smith said. “For several years we’ve been visiting, so I was familiar with the community.”
“I would so love to introduce myself to everybody in person but for the last three weeks I’ve been touching base with everyone (by phone),” she added.
Chamber President Jeanne Krueger said Powers-smith’s experience and personality make her the perfect fit for the post in Rome.
“She’s already doing a great job and we’re just happy to have her,” Krueger said.
The chamber has just put out a survey to the business community to determine which of them have — or will be — reaching out for assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.
“I’ve been impressed with how hardworking they all are,” Powers-smith said. “They’re ready to dig in and do what they need to do to produce their products.”
Powers-smith said she is trying to make sure companies realize most of them are eligible for assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program. The aid through the Small Business Administration is available to companies with up to 500 employees.
“To a normal resident, small business to them means mom and pop shops. But we’re trying to make sure that 99% of them qualify,” she said.
As she’s coming to know Rome, she’s realizing it’s a lot like Opelika.
“Demographics are similar, downtowns are similar, manufacturers are similar — so there’s a lot of correlation and that’s comforting for me,” Powers-smith said.
She’s selling her home in Alabama but plans to be spending most of her time in Rome. Powers-smith and her husband plan to completely renovate their home in Rome now that they will be full-time residents.