b'C H A P T E R SI Xthree from the Chamber, three from FCW We had the most astonishing consensus, recalls Mrs. Ecker. We had to protect natural resources and not overdo development. The last thing CBI wanted was a cheapened Main Street. Diegos strong view: Lets make sure that we maintain quality. Further, he agreed to sponsor Mrs. Eckers formal presentation to Chamber members and town officials, offered what is now Monomoy Meeting Elouse and its audiovisual equipment, and even steered her into using the Powerpoint program to convert her tables and graphs into slides.By late fall of 1996, the economic study had been filtered into booklet form, withan alluring cover picture by local photographer Gordon Zellner, and 62 pages of text buttressed by 36 tables and graphs.4 The idea, says Mrs. Ecker, was to have it like a comic, with simple statements and no big blocks of copy.Let the pictures tell the story. People attending the January 7, 1997, breakfast could pick up the report as they left.5 General Manager Chris Diego of Meanwhile, guests were treated to aChatham Bars Inn was just as top-of-the-line feast, recalls Mrs. Ecker. eager as Debby Ecker about It was as though we were on the Q. E. II. maintaining quality in the town. [Queen Elizabeth II] Conscious of image asHe made the CBI facilities the presenter, she wore a double-breastedavailable for her presentation in dark green dress, because I wanted to lookJanuary 1997.Courtesy ofChatham Bars Inn.like a woman corporate CEO .1 dont think Ive ever worn it since. Then, as the clinking of dishes subsided, she stood and went into her talk.The Studys Main PointsAmong the towns major economic assets, the Powerpoint slides testified, were these research-based items:Chathams highly valued residential properties. Statewide, they ranked 11th out of 350 other cities and towns. Ninety-one percent of the communitys tax base consisted of those properties.91'