Goltz is new Mar-Mac Chamber Director
Jessica Goltz is the new executive director of the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce. She’ll start the position next week. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
Jessica Goltz is the new executive director of the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce. She’ll start the position next week.
“I’m excited,” said Goltz, who now lives in Monona with her family, but grew up in Marquette.
“I remember shooting pool in the Marquette Cafe with the other local kids,” she recalled. “I worked at the New Frontier Hotel for years.”
Goltz most recently worked at Crossing Rivers Health in Prairie du Chien, Wis., as the service excellence coordinator and a board-certified health coach. Prior to that, she was the foundation director and community educator at Central Community Hospital, now MercyOne, in Elkader.
“I have a lot of background working with area businesses, and experience with grants and fundraising and organizing events,” which she said will translate well to the chamber. “I also have a passion for community development and community building.”
As director, Goltz said local businesses will be one of her biggest focuses.
“We want to be able to continuously build on and work with our businesses and business owners,” she shared. “I would also like to see what opportunities are out there that we haven’t grasped or pulled in, and bring in more business memberships.”
She plans to visit with business owners, discovering what their needs and challenges are so the chamber can best help them.
“Each business is unique, and they know themselves best,” Goltz said.
That also involves continuing to leverage the McGregor-Marquette Chamber’s extensive social media presence to share about local businesses and activities, and raise awareness for the area.
“Especially with the pandemic, we want to make sure people know it’s safe and OK to go to our businesses,” she said.
In addition, Goltz would like to gauge the community’s needs as a whole. Under the Ports of Discovery name, that includes Marquette and McGregor, as well as neighboring Prairie du Chien.
“I want to understand each community’s needs and have positive conversations about growth and working together,” Goltz stressed. “We could even do a community survey to see where we could focus our efforts.”
Other plans include pulling in grants for community and economic development and perhaps creating a chamber golf tournament, which she said would be a safe and easy fundraiser. With her background, Goltz would also like to offer health and wellness resources.
“The community is about more than just businesses,” she said. “We have to have a healthy community as well.”
Collaborating with local partners will also be key.
“I want to build relationships and work with different chambers and groups,” she said.
To learn more about the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce and what it has to offer, visit www.mcgreg-marq.org/ or find “McGregor-Marquette” Iowa on Facebook and Instagram. The chamber can be reached at (563) 873-2186 or mcgregormarquettechamber@gmail.com, or stop by the office at 146 Main St., in downtown McGregor.
