The lagging economy has proved a mixed blessing for the region’s chambers of commerce.
Businesses looking for support and resources helped bolster memberships at the local chambers while organizations that struggled to pay their dues took a toll on revenues.
“Everyone knows that one of the most affordable forms of advertising a business can invest in is the local chamber of commerce,” said Roseanne Ford, membership director at the Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce.
But economic realities can dictate a course of action.
“Some people don’t renew their membership because they have to cut expenses anywhere they can,” said Ford. “And then we have people who join because their business needs the support and networking our organization provides.”
The Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce is “doing well. We ended 2010 on a positive note and saw some new enrollment activity in December and January, which is typical around the New Year,” said Ford. “We have some great events coming up in 2011 and we’re optimistic that we’ll have a good turnout.”
The chamber recently completed a successful membership drive that netted the organization 50 new businesses. And, according to Ford, retention is also strong; of the chamber’s 610 members, 30 did not renew or pay dues this year.
“They may have let their membership lapse or they went out of business,” said Ford. “Of course, we can’t survive on membership dues alone,” said Ford.
The chamber relies on community events, such as golf tournaments, the Daffodil Festival, after-hours social functions and monthly networking meetings, to attract new members and generate revenue.
The chamber saw revenues drop in 2010, but Ford declined to say specifically how much. “We had enough left over that we were able to put some funds in our reserves, which was nice.”
Holding on to business members, retaining new ones and driving up revenues is a common challenge these days.
R. Nelson “Oz” Griebel, president and chief executive officer of the MetroHartford Alliance, says his organization is re-evaluating its strategic plan and trying to figure out how it can serve its 1,000-plus members.
Members have all sorts of reasons why they want to join a chamber, Griebel said, but the three top categories include discount programs to health care, enhanced networking opportunities and public policy support.
Griebel’s efforts center around the state’s “significant fiscal issues” and the impact Connecticut’s deficit has on attracting businesses and retaining jobs.
“Chamber leaders nationally are dealing with this, not just Connecticut,” said Griebel, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2010. “The state that can figure it out and get their fiscal house in order is the state that wins,” he said. “We need to be able to convince the private sector to start, relocate and expand businesses here.”
“You can’t hire people, buy advertising or pay for products if you don’t have money or jobs,” said Griebel.
Tony Sheridan, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut in Waterford, agreed.
While his chamber’s membership count held steady at about 1,600 over the past several years, the make-up has changed, said Sheridan.
The chamber has a healthy stable of small, medium and large companies that include retailers, universities, legal, industrial and entertainment, but lately, Sheridan said he has noticed an uptick in home-based businesses popping up in the region.
“Small businesses don’t have the major infrastructure that a large company has to support itself,” said Sheridan. “They want to be able to tap into the networking opportunities a chamber like ours can offer.”
Like many of the area chambers, Sheridan’s organization has seen the impact of the recession on local businesses, regardless of size. Last year, 24 members did not renew or pay their dues.
Sheridan didn’t have revenue numbers readily available this week, but said the chamber fell “a few hundred dollars shy of what it budgeted for in 2010.”
Sheridan says the Waterford-based chamber helps its members cultivate new business relationships, encourages people to shop locally and promotes collaborative partnerships between community leaders.
Attendance at chamber events is up and inquiries about member businesses are on the rise.
“We get a surprising number of calls from people in the community who want to know if someone is a member or not,” said Sheridan. “Maybe they are planning to have some roofing work done or need landscaping, whatever it is, they call us and want to know if that particular business has a good reputation and a good history with us.”
Like the MetroHartford Alliance, Sheridan’s group in Waterford is exploring public policy programs and current economic trends.
“The state is in very bad shape financially and that’s a big challenge for businesses,” said Sheridan. “One area we really need to focus our energy on is affordable housing for workers. We need to jumpstart that now.”
Sheridan will target local realtors and promote chamber benefits — networking and marketing tools — that could help them grow their businesses.
“Members want a chamber that is looking out for their interests,” said Sheridan. “They want a chamber that is listening to their needs and working on their behalf to accomplish what needs to be done.”
“By reaching out to realtors and other housing professionals in our area, we can expand our membership, help the real estate businesses grow and make affordable housing available to our workers.”
