Winthrop, Massachusetts is a small coastal town with about 18,000 residents. It is located 20 minutes away from downtown Boston. It enjoys wonderful beaches and some of the oldest buildings in the country.

 

The Winthrop Chamber of Commerce is run by the Executive Director, Betsy Shane who works with the 230 or so members. Winthrop doesn’t have any industry; its business community is made up with small business.   “As a chamber we are always looking for ways to promote our businesses.  I knew for years about the need for a mobile App” said Shane.

 

For years we printed a phone book and directory. This was the only one for the community. We knew that we needed to go digital and that mobile was the way to go. “When I presented this idea to my board, some of the old timers were skeptical, but others understood the need to go mobile and I am glad we did. We have been working with BarZ Mobile Development for over 5 years and they have been fully supportive along the way. We are a small office and have not yet utilized all the features of the Bar-Z App platform as we would like.  We know the functions we want are there and when we need the Bar-Z staff to assist us they are very responsive, right up to the top.” 

 

“This year, with the pandemic, is showing us even more how important our phones are and the many good apps available to use during these difficult times.  We have made this year using the Winthrop App as a top priority. For us the App is an opportunity to connect the businesses with the local community, the greater Boston area and as a tool for Visitors.  We are a waterfront community next to Boston and have, until this year, always had a large visitor population, staying at our hotels and Inns.  The App gives our visitors a list of places to stay, places to eat, transportation options including the bus, subway and our local ferry.  We also use it to assist the Town of Winthrop with push notifications particularly when we are expecting a snow storm and our Town puts out a parking ban.  We will continue to work with the Town to coordinate communications with the community.

 

Our App gives us many resources.  We have a great relationship with Bar-Z and appreciate their commitment to us.”

 

 

Betsy Shane, Executive Director

Winthrop Chamber Commerce

617-846-9898

info@winthropchamber.com

 

Lee Little, CEO

BarZ Mobile Development

512-970-9566

lee.little@bar-z.com