Pamela Bowman, President, Simsbury Chamber of Commerce | A resource in good or lean times

How does a chamber your size (approximately 450 companies) handle the diversity of its membership in these tough economic times?

We have a great mix of large and small businesses with the majority of our members in the 5 or less employee category. Our networking activities are twice a month, most months of the year. These work well for any size business.  Most of our members are sole proprietors who need to have these opportunities to market and network as our chamber members are their sales force. We have created a marketing toolkit to help guide our members on using the many resources we have to offer.

Other opportunities for our members include everything from promoting their business through events, sponsorships and publications, to a website, a printed directory, to insurance, to advocacy with local and state officials, to mentoring young students in our junior high and high school level, there is something for everyone and we continue to try new things.

This year we are proud to announce the Business Leaders Networking Breakfast April 3 at Avon Old Farms Inn, from 7:30 am to 9:30 am. designed to help business leaders think of their business strategies in a new light for the new and challenging times. The chamber is honored to have Thomas M. Marra, president & chief operating officer, The Hartford, as the speaker for this inaugural event.  Tom’s talk is entitled “Challenging Times Require Strong Alliances.”

Along those lines, how does a chamber of commerce maintain its membership levels in these times?

We rely on the support of our long-term members. They know the chamber to be a great resource for marketing opportunities and they realize the need to continue and/or increase their exposure at this time. In fact, most of our new members come to us by member referral. There will always be some businesses opening regardless of the economy and its surprises, we want to reach out to those new businesses and help them get their businesses off the ground. Our chamber has a vast resource of members who have the expertise and experience to confide in and help businesses grow. 

We believe that our value added benefits make membership even more beneficial when times are tough and we continually find ways to introduce them to new clients.  A good example is the Home Improvement Show that we created in September to showcase our many members who are in this industry. Our members have the chance to meet potential customers while at the same time showcasing their goods and services.

We also provide workshops through our partnership with the Business Resource Center at the Simsbury public library which educates our members on know how to keep their clients in this competitive market, stay current with today’s changing technologies and offer many tips on running efficient and effective businesses.

How has the role of chambers of commerce evolved in the last decade? What’s the biggest change members have seen in terms of service?

Probably the biggest change we have seen is in the technology. Business is being conducted at “high speed” with ever changing and amazing “high-tech” devices. Our members are looking for up-to-date and interactive websites, broadcast emails instead of mail, webinars, video conferencing and anything else that saves time and money.  Our membership wants accurate information quickly.  As in any business keeping up with these changes is both important and challenging in balancing the service needs of members who are advanced in the new tech world with those that are still emerging.

Does the Simsbury chamber align with other chambers? Is alignment necessary to give members broader service?

We definitely align with other chambers. We have several networking events every year where we invite area chambers and they reciprocate. We realize that it is to our member’s advantage to have opportunities to meet businesses from other chambers.  I would like to see more collaboration in the future. It is a great way to provide more value to our members and a “win-win” for everyone.

I have also begun meeting with the area’s volunteer chamber presidents to have a dialogue about providing more networking opportunities and to discuss our similar challenges and possible solutions. Our executive director also meets once a month with directors of the 26 regional chambers of commerce to share information and stay in touch with the industry.

Would chambers of commerce exist as we know them without the insurance benefit?

The Simsbury Chamber has always been in the enviable position of not having to rely solely on insurance benefits. While we have a great relationship with ConnectiCare, Aetna and Healthnet and other insurance providers, we offer such a wide variety of membership benefits for our small businesses that we feel secure in our role as a chamber of commerce.