Chamber Channel Podcasts

Norma Lansing, director of the Greater Effingham Chamber of Commerce in Effingham, Illinois raises about $2500 in extra revenue through the creation of special interest groups that serve the needs of specific types of organizations present in her Chamber. For an extra membership fee, special perks and services are provided to these members.

Melody Longstreth, director of the Waynesburg Area Chamber of Commerce in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania has been with the chamber for almost 20 years, and she still doesn't know how to crochet.

Answering questions from businesses interested in coming to the area is Connie Elias, President and CEO of the Alvin-Manvel Area Chamber of Commerce's specialty. She has assembled a group to host scouts from prospective businesses and introduce them to the area and answer questions they might have. This program gets great feedback, and it has helped to bring new businesses and more than 500 jobs to the area. For more information, Connie Elias can be reached at (800) 331-4063 or the Alvin-Manvel Chamber website, www.alvinmanvelchamber.org.

Crisanne Zamponi, the director of community development at the Harlingen, Texas Chamber of Commerce raised more than $25,000 for renovations to the children's hospital in her community. In addition to improving the hospital, she was able to teach 20 people some of the best ways to raise money through community involvement. For more information, contact her at czamponi(at)harlingen.com or by calling (800) 531-7346.

10 little members start a chamber... will they make it work, or will one roll over and one fall out?

Amy Sherman of the West Chamber in Jefferson County, Colorado established a nice program for the 100 Health and Wellness businesses in her 900 member Chamber of Commerce. By analyzing the needs of all members, she found they all had a few things in common, and now, with the networking established, she has a healthy chamber.

A small chamber like the Lancaster, Texas Chamber of Commerce doesn't make all of its revenue from member dues. With only 350 members, Joe Johnson, CEO, says these dues only pay about 60 - 65% of the overall operating cost of the company. So, he hosts a golf tournament every year that makes about $38,000. For more information, he can be contacted at jjohnson(at)lancastertx.org or (972) 227-2579.

John Williams, President of the Randolph-Metrocom Chamber of Commerce doesn't run a typical chamber. His chamber extends across 10 cities. To hear more about how he does it, he can be contacted at john.williams(at)randolphmetrocomchamber.org or (210) 658-8322.

Kent Dykes, Executive Director of the Greater Easley, S.C. Chamber of Commerce says about 250 people visit his chamber's Web site every day. He invites you to visit at www.easleychamber.org and see how a well-performing chamber Web site looks. For more information, Kent Dykes can be contacted at (864) 859-2693.

Torance Hinland, Executive Director of the Union County, S.C. Chamber of Commerce knows that a small chamber sometimes needs a little help to make ends meet. His recommendation: Combine the city's economic development board with the chamber and have shared board members to avoid confusions that may arise from the combination. Torance Hinland can be reached at torance(at)unionsc.org or toll-free at (877) 202-8755.

Becca Stoka, president of the El Campo Camber of Commerce and her team revived a dying yearly event into something enjoyable for chamber members and sponsors. Becca Stoka can be reached at (979) 543-2713 or by visiting the El Campo, Texas Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture Web site at www.elcampochamber.com

Carolyn Hutcheson and the Polk County, Ga. Chamber of Commerce has just built a third speculative building. She discusses how her chamber has gone about constructing speculative buildings and the types of businesses they attract. Carolyn Hutchenson can be reached at (770) 684-8760 or by e-mail at polkcty(at)bellsouth.net

Jim Purgerson, president of the Ashland Alliance of Ashland, Ky. has a few simple words. "Let the members know what's in it for them," he says. And the best way to do this is by utilizing technology. The Ashland Alliance sends out a bi-weekly newsletter to members' fax machines and an e-newsletter to their e-mail addresses in addition to the regular monthly or quarterly newsletters sent out by postal mail.

Giovanna Phillips. president of the Southlake, Texas Chamber of Commerce lets her members know she cares and gets feedback from them through a program she calls "Questions of the Month." in this program, a monthly question is e-mailed out to her members asking about what they need, or if they are established, what it took them to get started. She also invited feedback on how the chamber is doing, and uses the replies to better the services the chamber provides. For more information, contact Giovanna Phillips at (817) 481-8200 or phillips(at)southlakechamber.com.

Each year, Jane Patton, director of the Haines City, Fla. Chamber of Commerce, presents ten upstanding high-school students with a taste of what the community has to offer. The students are taken to area courts, facories, hospitals and media organizations. They also visit several media outlets and are exposed to some of the cultural activities the Haines City area has to offer. The tours culminate with a three day trip to Tallahassee where students meet the governors and regional legislature. For more information on this program, contact Jane Patton at (863) 422-3751 or director(at)HainesCity.com.

Positive attitudes and empathy are what Hollie Jones looks for in leaders. In addition, she has several other traits she believes all leaders should have. Hollie Jones can be contacted at (229) 776-7718 or e-mail her at holliejones@bellsouth.net.

George Warren has lived in Henderson, Ky. his entire life. As the President of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, he knows that being a life-long resident is a valuable asset, but his experience has shown him that bringing in directors from outside of the area brings new perspectives and prevents "tunnel vision" from hindering the efforts of the chamber. George Warren can be reached at (270) 826-9531 or geohwarren(at)hendersonchamber.com.

Gary Driscoll, President of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, has taken the word "community" to a whole new level. The word "unity," broken into an acronym, is what he is suggesting for his chamber's theme. He can be reached at portcofc(at)bellsouth.net or (615) 325-9032.

When Gaye Shaw, president of the Edmonton and Metcalf County Chamber of Commerce says she has the biggest little chamber in the state, she's not bragging. Per-capita, she has more members then any other chamber in Kentucky - more than 300 in a community of 10,000 people. Her secret? A 10 hour radio telethon. To learn more, contact her at metchamb(at)scrtc.com or (270) 722-3222.

Building networks through contests, prizes, dinners and crazy hats are just a few ideas given by Diane Probst, President and CEO of the Rockport-Folsom area Chamber of Commerce. Watching networks form and grow in her community in formal and informal sessions is something her chamber strives to do. For more information, contact her at president(at)1rockport.com or by phone at (361) 729-6445.

Deana Epperly Karem, the new Executive Director of the Oldham, Ky., Chamber of Commerce explains some of the techniques she uses to put on a good event, from e-mailing invitations to save printing and opstage costs to setting up different registration lines to get people through faster. For more information, she can be reached at (502) 222-1635 or dekarem(at)oldhamcountychamber.com.

Cindy Klein, Executive Director of Leadership Tyler, has a program oriented towards a common goal of improving the quality of life for all the members of her Texas community. This "enhanced program" pushes all members to work for a common goal, and she says it works. For more information, Cindy klein can be reached at (903) 535-9242 or by e-mail at cklein(at)tylertexas.com.

Camden, S.C. Chamber of Commerce president Buddy Clark has joined forces with the community newspaper to provide advertising for new members. The newspaper gives him discounts, and the chamber members essentially get a free ad with their membership dues. For more information, contact Buddy Clark at (803) 432-2525 or buddyclark1(at)bellsouth.net.