“ Green Forest is a great place to live for many reasons ,” said Ross Darby , president of the Green Forest Chamber of Commerce . “ The main reason is that the people who live in the community and own the businesses truly care about Green Forest and want the best for the town . Another reason is our proximity to many larger cities and vacation spots in the area . You can still enjoy the small town life while visiting larger towns and getting to come back home .”

Darby is an Elementary ESL teacher for the Green Forest School District . “ I have been involved with the chamber for more than 10 years in various volunteer positions ,” he said . “ Our chamber relies solely on volunteer efforts . We volunteers are known around town as ‘ the chamber guy ’ or ‘ the chamber lady .’ Our faces have become synonymous with helping others and people will seek us out , even at the grocery store . That ’ s a benefit because people buy from those they know , like and trust .”

Agriculture drives the community and Green Forest would not exist without the poultry and livestock industries . “ We are an agriculturally-based community , where every business and nearly every family relies on agriculture as its main revenue source ,” he said . “ Everyone in our community knows that agriculture is vital to our existence , and we are very appreciative and respectful of that .”

A noteworthy person born in Green Forest is Helen Gurley Brown . An author , publisher and businesswoman , Brown was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years . She was also the author of the best-selling book “ Sex and the Single Girl ,” published in 1962 , and was an outspoken advocate of women ’ s freedom in the sixties .

Green Forest is very different from the other communities in the area . Due to the agriculturally-based industries in the area , many different ethnic backgrounds make up community , and community businesses have grown to meet the necessary demand for goods and services not anywhere available anywhere else in the area for the diverse communities now comprising Green Forest .

“ I am a lifelong resident of Green Forest , except for the years I attended college ,” Darby said . “ My family has lived here for multiple generations , so Green Forest is home . All of the Chamber volunteers have deep connections to the community , so we all have a vested interest in making sure Green Forest thrives .”

Darby believes the community is very supportive of local businesses and restaurants . “ Our city is very businessfriendly and accommodating to all businesses that support the community ,” he said . “ We understand that our businesses are the key to our future . We support our business community and encourage growth to expand our city to its fullest potential .”

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