2 | Bangor Daily News | Thursday, January 24, 2013 | Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Annual Report
The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce continued on a path toward fiscal sustainability in 2012, even as we enhanced our advocacy
BANGOR REGION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: John Porter
A fiscally stable Chamber means better business and programming efforts. A major focus of our work here has been to create a financially sustainable model for the organization, and we are now finishing our third year in that effort. This year, we budgeted $10,000 for reserves, and I’m pleased to report that we were well ahead of that goal as 2012 drew to a close. After ending 2009 without reserves and with a projected loss for 2010, the Chamber has had three positive years financially. While the gains are not overwhelming, they’ve been good enough so that we will be establishing a separate reserve account in early 2013. This did not come easily in the midst of a recession. The Chamber has cut expenses, reducing the size of the staff
by 20 percent. Dues have risen modestly. And we have built our events, with higher attendance and broader sponsorship helping the bottom line. We’ve also been helped with some modest growth in overall membership, but transformative growth has proven a stubborn goal. We’ve signed about 400 new members in three years. Our membership sponsor these past two years, FairPoint Communications, has been especially helpful with this effort. But in that same time, we lost nearly as many members, as businesses went under and others couldn’t afford even modest dues of less than $300 per year. As a result, we’ve grown slightly over the past three years with membership hovering just above 800.
INCOMING CHAIR MESSAGE: Jane Irving
Celebrating accomplishments and the Bangor Region in 2013
And, from an operations standpoint, one big piece of work remains. After leaving the building we had owned in Bass Park to make way for the new Cross Insurance Center, the Chamber moved into temporary space owned by the city near Bangor International Airport. We are still working with the city and other stakeholders to develop a permanent home, and expect 2013 to be the year when we settle on a plan. Having a sound fiscal and operational base from which to work is unglamorous but necessary work. Without that foundation, we wouldn’t be able to focus on our core mission. Still, the Chamber does not exist to turn a profit or sell services to businesses. Its mission is “to promote and enhance a
OUTGOING CHAIR MESSAGE: Dan Tremble
Advancing the BRCC mission, one business at a time
As we enter 2013, the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce kicks off the year by celebrating the accomplishments of leaders in our community at its annual awards dinner. Each person honored is deserving in his or her own right. But what we really celebrate each January is the vibrancy and energy of the Bangor region itself. The good work of the people we honor make it all possible, of course, but we shouldn’t lose sight of their ultimate accomplishment: a vibrant, caring community that has more good ahead of it than behind it. Think about all that the region has to offer: We have terrific schools, colleges and universities. We have world-class medical care. We have affordable homes and an admirably high home ownership rate. And now, Bangor has become an entertainment destination that will soon boast not only a resurgent downtown, a full casino and exciting outdoor concerts, but Maine’s finest arena and convention center. None of this has occurred by accident. Community leaders have stepped up and made good things happen. And among those leading organizations has been the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce. I’m pleased to tell you that, as I assume the chairmanship of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, the organization has an engaged board and an energetic staff. Often, as was the case with securing voter approval for the new arena, the Chamber’s role is as a partner among many working to make the region better. That can obscure the drive and determination of the organization as it pursues its mission “to promote and enhance a vital, healthy business environment.” But rest assured, the Chamber is making a big difference in our community.
We have stepped up our advocacy with local, state and federal officials. We have expanded our events. We have enhanced our programs. We have worked closely with other economic development entities on a range of projects. And of course, we have rebuilt our financial and staffing foundation to give the organization stability. Looking ahead, we still must find a permanent home for the Chamber following its exit from Bass Park to make way for what will soon be the Cross Insurance Center. This is not an easy challenge. The Chamber is financially sound, but like most nonprofits, it is hardly flush. Still, we will work closely with the city and other partners to find a suitable long-term headquarters. But even as we undertake this important task, we can’t lose sight of our mission. Nor should any of us forget how special this region is, and how amazing it can become. The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce stands ready to do its part in making our community all that it can be.
vital, healthy business environment.” To that end, after working hard to win approval of the new arena complex in Bangor, we’ve turned our attention to raising our profile in Augusta and with our federal delegation. We have worked to expand our networking and business resource services We’ve grown our events and sharpened our programs. And we are working in cooperation with our economic development partners to grow the region’s economy. As an organization, we still have much to do, but I can report that the state of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce is sound, and that the organization will continue to be the voice of the region’s business community for many years to come.
It has been an eventful six years as a director of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, and as I finish my term as board chair, I’m pleased to report that the Chamber is in good condition with membership and finances stronger than in many years. To pursue our mission, “to promote and enhance a vital, healthy business environment” the Chamber needs a solid foundation. In recent years, the Board of Directors’ has made creating that foundation a priority. Today, the organization is running in the black and overall membership is growing. We do have one piece of unfinished business with respect to finding a permanent home. The Chamber vacated its building in Bass Park to make way for the new Cross Insurance Center and since has been housed in temporary quarters owned by the city near Bangor International Airport.
To be sure, this is a challenging task, but we are working closely with the City of Bangor, our member businesses and other potential partners to create an appropriate home for the city’s largest business trade organization. Even as we’ve worked to make the Chamber a strong institution, we haven’t stepped back from our role as the voice for the Bangor region’s businesses. Over the past year we have advocated for a lower income tax in Augusta to help small business and encourage growth. We pushed hard for state bonds investing in transportation, R&D and higher education, and while not all of these won approval, they remain priorities. Closer to home, the Chamber worked to keep our local workforce investment board in place as the means for overseeing the use of federal dollars for worker training in our area. While concerns have been raised about the workforce training system generally in Maine, our region has done a good job connecting the needs of businesses with the training effort, and that message has been carried to Augusta. And our events and programs continue to help the region grow. Our programs promote workplace wellness, provide leadership training, encourage young professionals and connect businesses and educators. And of course we are excited that the new Cross Insurance Center is nearing completion. The Chamber was an early and consistent leader in advocating for replacement of the Auditorium and Civic Center, and the organization will work to make sure this incredible asset is fully leveraged. That work will be undertaken as part of our ongoing work through the Mobilize Eastern Maine network dedicated to regional economic development. This year I complete my second and final three-year term as a voting member of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Both within the Chamber and in our region it has been an eventful time. And I can happily say that both the Chamber and the region it serves have come through this period of change with a bright future ahead of them.