By Zachary Van Brunt
The Chronicle

     OMAK – City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce have created a new website they say would attract more attention to the downtown business community.
     City and chamber officials have been working with the Woodridge, Ill.-based-Internet company WebQA to promote local business on the city’s website.
     “The business owners are always seeing what the city can do to make the business community more vibrant,” City Administrator Ralph Malone said. “The idea is that this becomes a portal on our website.”
     The Shop Omak link went live last week at www.omakcity.com.
     “It’s just started, so we’re encouraging businesses to get registered and keeping it going,” he said.
     “For community members at large, it’s going to be an excellent resource to easily locate and find out more about our businesses in the area,” chamber past President Corina Radford said. For local business owners, it opens up doors to newer technologies, including smart phones, Internet coupons and social media, she said.
     “I’m so thankful that the city and the chamber are willing to invest on behalf of the businesses of our community and are willing to support them in this way,” Radford said.
     Businesses are eligible to link into the new directory if they have an Omak business license, are an Omak organization or a member of the Omak Chamber of Commerce.
     The new site would links to different business’ social media sites, and allow for email “blast” distribution for consumers seeking weekly specials, making it easier for shoppers to find businesses.
     The Shop Omak link has been in the works for six months, and required a $4,000 set-up fee, $1,000 of which the chamber pitched in with the city picking up the remainder.