Your chamber of commerce is a voluntary partnership of business and professional people working together to build a healthy economy and to improve the quality of life in your community.
As your chamber works to accomplish these goals, it wears many hats: economic developer and planner; tourist information center; business spokesperson; economic counselor and teacher; government relations specialist; human resources advisor; and public relations practitioner.
Simply stated, your chamber is business and professional people working together to make your community a better place for everyone to live and work.
Chamber of commerce members are businesses, organizations and individuals concerned with the socio-economic climate of your community. They have joined together because they know they stand a better chance of getting things done when they speak as one voice.
Your chamber of commerce is run by its members. They elect a Board of Directors that determines policies and sets goals. A president* presides over all Board meetings.
Your chamber's day-to-day operations are handled by a professional manager. This person is a paid employee. Some small communities have managers who are either volunteeers or part-time employees.
Members often become involved in chamber activities by working on committees. These committees range from economic development, education and human resources to conventions, tourism, public affairs and government relations.
*Title is chairman at some chambers.
As it works to improve your community's economy and quality of like, your chamber keeps these broad objectives in mind:
Chamber of commerce activities reflect community needs. They are undertaken by the members and staff to make the area a better place in which to live.
Some of the most popular activities of chambers include:
Specific activities of chambers of commerce are usually listed and discussed in their official publications.
Chambers of commerce usually accomplish their activities by:
The modern chamber of commerce movement traces its origin to Marseilles, France, where an independent voluntary organization was formed in the early seventeenth century to represent the commercial interests of that Mediterranean seaport.
Nearly a century later, the British formed the second chamber of commerce at St. Helier on the Channel Island of Jersey as an independent voluntary business organization representing the interests of that small island town.
The first American chamber of commerce was established in 1770 in New York City. By 1870, chambers were operating in 40 major American cities. In 1986 approximately 5,000 local and state chambers were operating across the United States.
It was during the first half of the twentieth century that United States chambers of commerce dramatically increased their numbers, growing from 100 in 1901 to nearly 3,000 in 1950.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was founded on April 22, 1912, at the suggestion of President William Howard Taft to develop a strong link between business and government.
By 1986, the U.S. Chamber's membership had grown to include more than 2,700 chambers; 54 American Chambers of Commerce Abroad; 1,200 trade and professional associations and 180,000 business members.
For over three centuries, business and professional people have joined together in chambers of commerce to shape the future of their communities and the world.
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