Under Dula, chamber up 36 percent

Former county official marked one year at helm in July

He has given the chamber a face-lift that has helped boost membership by 36 percent. The group now boasts nearly 850 members.

Some members who left returned ‘‘because they saw the new effort and want to be part of our vision,” said Dula, former deputy chief administrative officer of the Prince George’s Health and Human Services Department.

‘‘The state of the chamber has been solidified in the fact that we now have a larger base of members with an adequate budget to meet our financial needs,” he said. ‘‘Our partnerships with different entities throughout the county have grown as well.”

Given Dula’s extensive knowledge of county government operations, ‘‘he’s a very valuable resource for the chamber,” said Kwasi G. Holman, president and CEO of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corp.

‘‘Over the past year, Doc has brought energy and important linkages to the chamber’s relationship with the county economic development activities,” Holman said. ‘‘In particular, we’re focusing on attracting more federal agencies to the county.”

Dula’s membership events are creating better synergies with training activities at Holman’s agency through the Small Business Initiative and the upcoming International Economic Summit in October, he said.

The chamber’s inaugural 2007 annual membership celebration in June drew more than 400 people, making it one of the group’s biggest yearly events along with the State of the Economy, which welcomed more than 700 attendees this year.

‘‘He has shaken things up in a positive sense,” said John Peter Thompson, the newly elected chamber chairman, succeeding William M. Shipp.

Dula ‘‘brought an invigorated sense of team spirit,” said Thompson, chairman of Behnke Nurseries Co. in Beltsville. Each member of his team has a particular strength, and Dula helps guide their talents and contributions toward the common goal of advancing the chamber’s initiatives, he said.

Dula joined the chamber as it faced some significant hurdles. Kathleen M. Smith resigned as president in the fall of 2005 after just four months on the job. Then, in February 2006, Chairwoman Michelle L. Moone resigned, compounding the disarray. The following month, Smith’s predecessor, Wendi M. Williams, returned as interim president until a permanent replacement could be hired.

The chamber’s top job was essentially vacant for eight months before Dula came on board in June 2006.

His goal was to ‘‘create a better synergy” within the organization and open the channels of communication with the government at all levels, he said.

Another strategy has been to approach the business community holistically, he said. Under its ‘‘Renaissance” initiative, the Chamber has become more involved in workforce development, adult and child education, and fostering future entrepreneurs, he said.

It’s a way to connect the chamber with its environment, Dula said. A public relations office was also created to conduct outreach.

The strategic plan Dula developed with his staff within his first three months included an overhaul of the group’s Web site. Members have said it is easier to use and more informative, according to Dula.

The goal was to make the site more interactive and customer-friendly, to ‘‘explain in greater detail what the chamber is all about,” he said.

To ensure collaboration with public and private organizations, the ‘‘Chamber First” program was developed. Like many, the chamber wants to see county businesses considered for county construction projects before developers look elsewhere, he said.

The organization is also working on an agreement with a local consultant to help county businesses win government contracts offered in Prince George’s, he said.

The chamber has gotten ‘‘back to basics,” Dula said. ‘‘We increased our advocacy for local businesses [and] opened up our channels for networking and communication.”