Jackson Exhange Club memebers doing their part to make our community a better place to live and raise children.

Chris Ramey, (past club president) vice president of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, has been a volunteer with the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce for six years. He was recently selected to be the 2010 chair of the Emissaries, a good-will organization within the Chamber.

The Emissaries contact members to develop relationships within the Chamber.

"The work of the Emissaries is vital to the Chamber being connected to their membership base," Ramey said. "It gives the Chamber the opportunity to ensure it is meeting the needs of its members by personally contacting those businesses to stay current with evolving resources for growth."

The Chamber has other volunteer groups, including the Diplomats and the Ambassadors, also known as the Red Coats.

The Ambassadors are the official representatives of the Chamber. Dressed in their red coats, they attend ribbon cuttings, ground breakings, open houses and grand openings held by Chamber members.

The Diplomats help develop new Chamber memberships. The group meets monthly and also assists Chamber staff with member retention.

Nancy Phillips, a community banker with Regions Bank, has been a Chamber Diplomat for four years. Last month, she was chosen to be the 2010 chair of the Diplomats.

"The Diplomats are an important part of the Chamber's volunteer team focusing on membership retention, a key component to membership growth," Phillips said. "The Chamber works hard to identify and focus on programs and services identified by its members.  The Diplomats help to communicate the vast diversity of programs available to reaffirm membership dollars are invested in companies' success."