Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce building to get improvements

An artist's rendering of what the upgraded Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce building will look like

PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce is about to get a makeover following the city commission’s approval of a request from Chamber President Blake Benson Tuesday night.  

“This is a project that will not only provide better utilization of our space,” Benson said, “but will also be a better representation of our facility. We feel like with our program of work and our staff and our marketing materials all have really been shored up, we feel like the weak link now is our facility.”  

Benson said it has been over a decade since any major improvements have been made to the building. 

“We don’t feel like our building accurately reflects the image that we want Pittsburg to have,” he said. “We don’t want to be the ugly duckling on the block.”  

 The proposed improvements include removing the current layer of paint on the building, adding floor-to-ceiling windows across the front of the building, and a makeover of the lobby which includes adding a public restroom. Additionally, a business center would be created with technology for local business owners to take advantage of.  

An artist's rendering of what the upgraded Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce building will look like

“This will be full of the latest technology to help our local businesses take advantage of the virtual meeting format that became so popular during Covid,” Benson said. “Where a lot of businesses struggle right now is the hybrid meeting, where you have three or four people in person, but you have other people joining virtually.”  

An artist's rendering of what the upgraded Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce building will look like

The improvements will also allow for the facility to be officially designated a Tourist Information Center by the state of Kansas.  

“That will result in more marketing on the state level,” Benson said, “which we know will increase the number of visitors that come to our community.”  

Additionally, Benson said the improvements will allow for growth for both the Chamber and the Crawford County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, which shares the building with the Chamber.  

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