The Highland Business Association (HBA) is back and better than ever, thanks to new president Renae Martin.

The HBA is a not-for-profit networking association for local businesses in the Highland area. Meetings are held where business owners get to know one another and form positive relationships, and support each other’s businesses.

Martin owns a boutique store selling local products called Lilly Rae in the Hamlet, which opened last year. Martin was involved in the HBA for years when she began noticing that membership was declining and events were stopping. Then one day she threw a party at her house with other business women and Martin expressed the desire to be HBA president, and everyone agreed.

Martin contacted the former president to become a part of the board, and she told Martin they were looking for a new president. Martin says it was meant to be.

Martin took over as president in May and had a huge hurdle in front of her. All memberships to the HBA were expired, and it was her job to get businesses involved again.

“I think it was time for a fresh set of ideas,” Martin said. “Everything kind of runs its course and someone either steps up and makes it better or it’s done.”

Martin’s main goal for now is to build the HBA back up to what it used to be. Though Martin has been president for only a month, membership has skyrocketed from no members in May to around 24 now.

“Having any members want to come back and rejoin is a success by itself,” Martin said.

Some future ideas Martin has is to not only hold regular meetings but hold educational meetings as well. This means that someone would come in who has experience with a certain aspect of the business world, or specialize in certain areas, and they would teach aspects of how to run a business successfully.
Martin also wants to involve the community more in future events that are held. She doesn’t want the association to be exclusive, she wants it to be a positive for the whole community.

“As business owners, especially in a small town, it’s important to have the support of your community,” Martin said. “I think it’s important for people to know who we are, and the fact that we don’t just care about our own businesses, we care about the community.”

Though Martin can’t give out all the details of the events they’re planning, one of the events she’s is thinking about is a Halloween event, the other is a masquerade ball.

“Any reason to dress up and throw a party, something big and beautiful,” Martin said. “I mean, when’s the last time you got to put on a big huge ball gown? It’s once in a lifetime.”

Martin is also on the Town of Lloyd events committee, and would love to get the HBA and the events committee to sit down together and collaborate on something.

The first networking event for the new HBA took place last week, where Martin introduced herself and gave everyone the opportunity to talk. She wanted to hear from business owners to see what they didn’t like in the past and what she could change to make it better for everyone.

“We’re not just here to be here. I don’t need it to say I’m president on my website,” Martin said. “I want to make a difference. I want to be there, I want everyone to succeed. I grew up here, this is my hometown, so I just want everybody to do well.”