Each year, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce relies on a valuable group of volunteers who devote hours, time and energy to bridging the gap between business and community.
We call them Ambassadors.
For over 30 years, our Ambassadors have played vital roles as the Chamber’s welcoming arm: building close relationships, applauding at ribbon cuttings, shaking hands with community members.
Each year, the Chamber recognizes one Ambassador whose work personifies the highest degree of professionalism, kindness and community-building.
Vaughn Berger, account executive for Reagan Outdoor, has been proudly named the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Ambassador of the Year.
“I love my role as a Chamber Ambassador,” Vaughn said.
Over his career, Vaughn’s served on nearly a dozen boards and groups; community relationships are at the heart of his professional and personal life. Recently, Vaughn – former business development director for Bryan College and former vice president of Community National Bank in Dayton – spoke with TREND about the importance of Ambassadors.
When did you first get involved with the Chamber?
Nine years ago, I was working for Bryan College and the college asked me to go to Chattanooga and start networking for them. I had done this before in other counties, so I knew this was how you meet people and get involved. I started going to as many Chamber meetings as I could and I joined the Chattanooga Chamber’s Ambassadors.
The Ambassador Program was especially helpful to me when I switched jobs. A fellow Ambassador recommended me for a job at Reagan Outdoor Advertising, which I ended up getting hired for, and am still there today loving what I do.
What does your Ambassador role mean to you?
I love my role as a Chamber Ambassador. I work hard to make sure I represent the Chamber well to its member businesses. It also helps me in my business by introducing me to business owners that I would have never thought to visit. Also, when I’m visiting for the Chamber, I go down streets and find businesses that I would have not driven by doing my own business development.
What have you learned by being an Ambassador? If you could tell the greater Chattanooga business community one thing, what would it be?
I’ve learned by being a Chamber Ambassador that the Chattanooga Chamber really does care about its member businesses. They work hard to champion local businesses. They are truly trying to make life better in our region for everyone.
I tell people who are new to the area and want to start a business network to: Show Up, Volunteer, and Do What You Say You’re Going To Do.
How has your work at Reagan Outdoors benefited others? How has the Chamber helped you and Reagan?
Reagan Outdoor Advertising benefits the business community by helping promote advertisers to grow their business locally. Reagan and the Chamber work together by promoting Chamber events on our digital billboard network. The Chamber gives me opportunities to network and grow my business every week with all of the Council activities and AM Networkings and After Hours.
Why choose to spend your time and energy as an Ambassador? What are you giving and what are you receiving in such work?
I also appreciate that the Chamber is willing to change as different needs arise. Their Council system is very unique, especially when you compare it to Atlanta where every township has its own Chamber that you have to pay to join. But, even beyond that, they’re trying to adjust the number of Councils so that they can serve even more specific needs of certain industries.
I have met many of my current advertisers through the Chamber’s Ambassador endeavors. Once, I was making an Ambassador visit at Pepsi when the General Manager noticed that I was in the billboard business.
“I need to talk to you about billboards,” he said.
This was the start of a great partnership with Pepsi that’s still working for me today. It was simply good timing that led to sales, but I wouldn’t have been there at that moment if it wasn’t for the Ambassador program. I am giving time to be a bridge between the Chamber and its membership, but what I’m receiving is potential leads that may turn into advertisers. Also, I have made several life-long friends through the Chamber Ambassador program. These are people that I get to be around a lot, and I enjoy spending time with them.
