There is a vision for Carbon County.

Kathy Henderson, director of the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development, revealed several of those strategies with members of the Palmerton Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.Before her presentation, chamber president Peter Kern noted the recent consolidation of the Carbon County Chamber with the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation."I think it was a wise move to consolidate it," Kern said. "I think there is a lot to be gained by eliminating confusion in the mind of the public, and by making the joint operations much more efficient."That action was followed with a subsequent affiliation with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.New economicdevelopment directorHenderson then introduced herself to the chamber.A lifelong resident of the county, Henderson serves on the Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance and previously served on the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors in Harrisburg.In her role as CCED director of economic development, Henderson replaced Dawn Ferrante, who had been heading the consolidated organization before she took a role with the Lehigh Valley Industrial Development Authority."My passion is Carbon County," Henderson said. "My goal is to promote existing local businesses and reach out to welcome new business into the county."Vision for Carbon County"When the chambers merged, it created a very interesting dynamic," Henderson said."My vision for Carbon County is to start from grassroots. Palmerton is beautiful; when I go down Delaware Avenue nowadays, I am thrilled to bits," she said."We need to get local people back and having pride in their towns. We have to start instilling pride in our towns."Henderson said one of her goals is to get boroughs and townships in the county on board with the Main Street Program, and said that she plans to attend borough and township meetings throughout the county."My job is going to be to help bring Carbon County back to the level of prosperity we enjoyed during the Industrial Revolution," she said. "Membership in the chamber is absolutely important; there's strength in numbers."Kern asked Henderson how the Industrial Development Corporation and the Industrial Development Authority were linked together.Henderson said there are loans and grants to help those businesses prosper.She also mentioned the CCED's website, at

www.carboncountychamber.com.Q&A SessionKern alluded to the former Carbon County Partners for Progress organization, and more specifically, a strategic plan that was crafted for the county by the organization."A lot of the accomplishments for Partners for Progress were social accomplishments," he said. "But, on the job end of it, we haven't been quite as successful."Kern asked how to attempt to integrate the industrial and commercial development with the many other elements of Carbon County, and added that he believes there is a need to have a broader vision than just the downtown.Henderson said she agreed, but added, "We need to have a base to start from."Marlyn Kissner, Carbon Chamber and Economic Development executive director, lauded Henderson for her work up to this point."She's come in and she's just taken off," Kissner said. "(As a result) We are able to concentrate on commercial and industrial development."Palmerton Chamber member Marj Federanich asked Henderson if part of her job is to attract other businesses to move into the area.Henderson said it's up to everyone to work together."It's going to take a team effort," she said. "All of us working together, to get it done."