Business organizations to merge

NORWALK — Three organizations that all help in one way or another to make Huron County a better place are in merger talks. The board of directors of the Huron County Chamber of Commerce, the Huron County Development Council (HCDC), and the Norwalk Economic Development Corporation (NEDC) have voted to enter into official discussions with the goal of merging organizations to create one, unified county-wide chamber and economic development organization that is a public-private partnership in funding and governance in 2024. "While formal details are not yet identified, such as organizational structure, name, or location, the organizations have agreed it is in their and the community's long-term best interest to align in this way," the organizations said in a joint statement. "A single, unified chamber and economic development organization will reduce duplication, create organizational efficiencies, streamline the community engagement and support options for local companies, and allow for a higher quality of service due to pooled resources." "The next several months will involve extensive community, member, and stakeholder engagement from the organizations. The organizations plan to have the critical questions answered and structure of the new organization determined by July 2024, with the first full year of a new budget and operation being 2025," the organizations said. Huron County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kevin Rasnick said he couldn't comment on the merger. "I'm not in a position to comment right now," Rasnick said. "We're literally just starting to work on this." Rasnick was hired to lead the chamber in May of 2023. The mission of the chamber is: "We focus on being a resource and advocate for our Members and local businesses. We look to promote the economic interests of our business community that will help drive economic growth for our members as well as Huron County." NEDC executive director Sarah Ross could not be reached for comment. She was hired to lead NEDC in 2021. The NEDC's mission statement is: "to identify and capitalize on opportunities to continuously improve the Norwalk area's business base." HCDC hired Alex McCoy to be its executive director in April 2022, but McCoy is no longer with the organization. A person who works at HCDC referred calls about the merger to their board president, Dave Weisenberger, but he could not be reached for comment. HCDC's mission is: "We advance, encourage, and promote industrial, economic, commercial, educational and civic development in the County of Huron, State of Ohio, including all municipal corporations located therein." One person who spoke out in favor of the merger was Norwalk Mayor Dave Light. Light said the merger is "long past due." "It didn't make sense for a county the size of Huron County to have two economic development agencies and a chamber of commerce," Light said. "We don't need that redundancy. Consolidation is the best thing ever."