New president plans to revitalize Nordonia Hills Chamber of Commerce

by Chris Collins

Like many organizations, the Nordonia Hills Chamber of Commerce had to curtail activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the new chamber leader and board members have plans to revitalize the local chapter that serves Macedonia, Sagamore Hills, Northfield Village, Northfield Center, Northfield Township and Boston Heights.

Kristine Bissler was elected president of NHCC in April and she immediately focused on new activities to increase interest and attendance. Bissler said attendance at post-COVID meetings was “not that great,” so she scheduled more direct business-to-business presentations that have drawn an average of about 30 attendees.

She said that there are plans for a golf outing in the fall and a luau later this summer that would be open to the public to promote the chamber’s activities and recruit new members. Bissler also planned to hold “happy hours” in July to provide a more casual way for members to interact.

Bissler has lived in the Nordonia area for 11 years and is currently a real estate agent with ReMax Traditions. She has 18 years’ experience in real estate, insurance and business coaching and was a member of other chamber of commerce chapters before joining Nordonia Hills.

In early 2020, she wanted to set up a booth and raffle off a hot-air balloon ride at the Macedonia Summerfest, and soon after was encouraged to join the local chamber.

“I joined NHCC two days before the world shut down [in March 2020],” Bissler said.

Bissler said about running for an NHCC administrative position, “I felt like the chamber needed some positive features and I wanted to put my name in the hat.”

She was elected to the board and then became president this past April. Since then, she has met with local political leaders, school board members and leaders of local business to build partnerships and increase interest in the local chamber.

In an email, Bissler wrote, “Whether it is community relations or economic development, it is the chamber’s responsibility to provide strategic planning, create a shared vision of development and increase relationships through shared interactions.”

Bissler said NHCC is currently revising its website, nordoniahillschamber.org, with plans to complete the revisions later this summer. Additional news about upcoming chamber activities can also be found on the chamber’s Facebook page. ∞