CHAMBER BASICS About the Chamber
“What is the point of Chamber membership?” Hello friends and neighbors:
When society starts throwing around blanket definitions of “essential” businesses, although we can understand the meaning in the current context, I think everyone starts to consider their own value. A Chamber of Commerce is unique. Many people think we are a city or county, probably tax funded, entity. Not true. Many people think we are a marketing agency. Again, not true, although we do provide affordable marketing options. Many people think we are event planners. Not in our job descriptions although we do believe our community is enriched by having regular, community-wide events for everyone to enjoy. At the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce, we consider ourselves to be customer service professionals and business advocates. We exist to serve our members, which include large and small businesses, the school district, individual members, non-profit entities as well as the residents of our city and county. We provide word-of-mouth referrals daily. We manage a social media presence with broad reach. We create networking connections and partnerships. We help grandpa and grandma find the phone number they can’t find. We help high school students learn about career options. We build leaders through our Gillette Area Leadership Institute program. We provide no and low-cost education opportunities for our businesses. We greet visitors and newcomers looking to relocate to our community with a warm welcome. We help them learn about the resources and businesses available in our community from local restaurants and retail to activities available for kids and adults. We encourage visitors to take an extra day and stay in one of our many wonderful hotels and explore what our city and county have to offer.
Energy Capital Economic Development, Small Business Development and other State agencies so we can keep our members aware of things that can benefit or harm our community. We are in a constant state of event-planning and regularly brainstorm new things for businesses and families to participate in because, the truth is, if nobody enjoys living in and visiting our community, our businesses will not thrive like they want to thrive. If you ask us “why join the Chamber of Commerce” we can rattle off a list of things we will do for you and your business and explain that in some ways, we are like a gym membership – the more ways you choose to use your membership, the more benefit you will see. No two people or businesses will use the same combination of benefits because we recognize that different members are seeking different results. A Chamber is many things. We are flexible and ever evolving because that is what it takes to be forward thinking and relevant. We offer a mix of tangible benefits and intangible benefits to our members but bottom line, a vibrant Chamber is necessary for a vibrant community. Before you dismiss a Chamber as non-essential for your business, please consider that Chambers are essential for a community. Supporting your Chamber is doing something for yourself – helping to build quality of life and business in the community where you live, work and play. There most definitely is a point.
We work closely with our local legislators, city and county leaders, the School District and Gillette College, Gillette Main Street, Campbell County Convention and Visitors Bureau,
10 | Campbell County Chamber of Commerce 2020 Membership Resource Guide
