Chamber premiers new website

Rise ‘n Shine returned Sept. 2 and with it came the premiere of the Redlands Chamber of Commerce’s new website.

Redeveloped for functionality and redesigned for aesthetics, the new site has the capability to greatly serve members and be an information portal to anyone who wants to visit or relocate to Redlands.

“The site is all grown up now,” said Kathie Thurston,
executive director. “We have a site
that is easy to navigate, has current information for members, and visitors and creates a dynamic look at the both the organization and community for anyone who visits.”

The home page now features an interactive slide show and easy, intuitive navigation. Features include:

Reasons to become a chamber member and an application download.
Access to the economic development tool which provides powerful market demographics and insight, offered through a partnership with Esri.
Access to the chamber’s Office Depot program for members to save between 15 and 25 percent on office supplies.
Up-to-date information on the chamber’s signature event–Redlands Chamber Live
A showcase for President’s Club members.
Advertising opportunities.

The chamber’s new site was made possible by Redlands Web development company, Whitefrog.

“Whitefrog decided to get involved with the Chamber of Redlands website because the
existing website had little value to offer members and the community,” said Whitefrog owner Matt Leeds. “We wanted to create a tool that made the chamber more effective
online, creating a better resource for everyone.”

The site is designed to be easily updated by chamber staff,
eliminating the need for a traditional webmaster.

“We built the chamber website on a platform called
WordPress. This setup allows chamber staff to login and make changes to the website instantly, from any computer or smart device.

“It’s really pretty cool. Say the chamber is at a ribbon
cutting ceremony; they can snap a picture with their iPhone and then upload it straight to the website in about a minute. No programming, no webmaster. This allows website owners to be in control of their content in a way never before possible,” Leeds said.

“About a year ago we made a conscious decision to start offering more of our services to the local community. We had previously worked virtually with clients across the country and around the world – as far away as Cairo, Egypt. The Redlands Chamber of Commerce is one of the key Redlands websites we felt could benefit from our services.”
Visit the new site at www.redlandschamber.org.