What is  A  Chamber of Commerce

Chambers of Commerce:

The Basics

A chamber of commerce is an organization of businesses seeking to further their collective interests while advancing their community, region, state, or nation.

Business owners in towns, cities, and other territories voluntarily form these local societies/networks to advocate on behalf of the community at large, economic prosperity and business interests.

Chambers are not affiliated with any governmental entity (federal, state, county or local) , and are lead by local, private business leaders. 
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We are Safeguarding Free Enterprise & Building Stronger Communities 


American free enterprise has contributed to our citizens having one of the highest standards of living in the world, unsurpassed economic prosperity, and its people being the most generous in the world!


Free enterprise fosters competition, which means that more companies open up, more innovation,  more  jobs, our quality of life increases, and our communities get stronger. 


Private property, economic freedom, economic incentives, competitive markets, and the limited role of government are the characteristics of a free enterprise system.


Our Chamber's  existence reflects our fervently-held belief that the health of the business community and the health of larger community in which it lives are inseparable. And our work – of safeguarding free enterprise and providing the tools that business need to succeed – is central to the success of the community as a whole.


MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the  Chamber of Commerce is to champion economic prosperity, foster a pro-business climate, and to improve the quality of life in our region.


VISION STATEMENT

​To be universally recognized for our unique and invaluable role in helping businesses prosper and helping our communities thrive.


We are not your old school chamber: Click here for details 

Chamber missions vary, but they all tend to focus to some degree on:



  • Building communities (regions/states/nations) to which residents, visitors and investors are attracted; promoting those communities
  • Striving to ensure future prosperity via a pro-business climate; representing the unified voice of the employer community; and Reducing transactional friction through well-functioning networks. 
  • Most are led by private-sector employers, self-funded, organized around boards/committees of volunteers and independent
  • They share a common ambition for sustained prosperity of their community/region, built on thriving employers
  • Most are ardent proponents of the free-market system, resisting attempts to overly burden private sector enterprise and investment
  • Local businesses are voluntary-paying members of a chamber (nonprofits, quasi-public and even public sector employers also sometimes pay dues to belong)
  • ​A board of directors sets policy for, and guide the workings of, the chamber. The board or executive committee then hires a chief executive (various titles), plus an appropriate and affordable number of staff to run the organization
  • While most chambers work closely with government, they are not part of government although many consider the process of appropriately influencing elected/appointed officials to be one of their most important functions


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