how to obtain financing, what employment laws impact your size company or how to best market your company during tough economic times. Being a member of your local chamber sends a positive signal that you care about your community and want to help it become an even better place to live, work and do business. While not a Better Business Bureau or Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, the chamber brand connotes you are connected with other businesses who are working together on economic and employment issues. Nearly every chamber provides opportunities to make a difference in their communities, whether student scholarships, volunteerism or fundraisers for charities. Chambers also lead the community when trying to obtain funds for new libraries, roads, transit and higher education programs. Savvy chamber executives are beginning to use the social media to showcase the benefits of membership, events and connections. By modeling how a small chamber staff can utilize these new tech communications tools, chambers help show small businesses how it can be done at low cost but with good results. Diversity in the workforce provides companies with added insights and talents in our global economy. Chambers of commerce represent that diversity regularly through their programs, committees and board selection processes. Showcasing business success through a diversity prism creates a stronger foundation for economic growth. Joining a chamber connects you to a broad array of business people whose backgrounds and experiences could broaden your own perspective and client base. Chambers offer their members a wide variety of promotion to the global marketplace. If businesses or individuals want to do business in your community, they often Google the local chamber’s name to identify who is a member. If you aren’t a member, you miss thousands of opportunities each month to get connected to a new client or customer. If you aren’t connected, you really aren’t connected!
KATHLEEN T. SNYDER, CCE PRESIDENT/CEO MARYLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Kathy has more than 20 years as a chamber executive. She has served as President and CEO of the Maryland State Chamber of Commerce since October 1999. The Maryland Chamber has 840 business members who employ 440,000 people in the State. Its statewide mission is to maximize opportunities for its members and their employees to grow and prosper through legislative advocacy, business connections and timely communications. She was named Chamber Executive of the Year in May 2007 by the Maryland Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. In 2001, 2003 and 2006, Kathy was named by the Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women and is a member of the Daily Record’s Circle of Excellence.
vol18. no3.
Maryland Performance Magazine
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