In 1960 the population of Rumford was a little over 10,000 people. The 2010 census shows a population of 5,841 people. Yes, a significant drop in the population. There are 2,876 households with a median income of $27,639. This would make available about $80 million to spend in our community.

And this is just from the Rumford residents. Add in the town of Mexico, that adds another $36 million. Dixfield’s household income would be about $37 million. Let’s add that up. That’s nearly $153 million that is brought into our immediate community.

Now think about your business. What can you do to get a percentage of that? What would be your market share? Think about your own household budget. What percentage do you spent on entertaining such as dining out, going to the Eagles or Beano or participating in a fund raising event?

What if you said 3 percent? Three percent of $153 million is $4.5 million that Rumford, Dixfield, Mexico residents can spend in our community just for entertainment. Now think about food, fuel, clothes, school supplies, business supplies. The number is staggering.

The Chamber can help you identify and capture these opportunities to share in that market.

So now you can see, there is still plenty of money to be spent in our area. Yes, the population has fallen.

But are you flexible enough and changing to grab those dollars? The Chamber is here to develop, encourage, promote and protect the professional, financial, general business and residential interests of the River Valley. Why don’t you join today?