A Podcast for Chamber Professionals Posts

John Urbahns, President & CEO of Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. joins us for this episode in our 2021 ACCE Chamber of the Year Finalist Series.

John is a return guest as he was on the podcast last year in episode 79 as a Chamber of the Year Finalist which makes this 2 years in a row for GFW, Inc.!

In our discussion, John shares details about the two program synopsis that were submitted with their Chamber of the Year application.

The first program that John shared is about was GFW, Inc.’s response to the COVID pandemic. They introduced what was coined a Roadmap to Healthy Re-Open. This program included 17 industry specific webinars geared towards ideas and protocols for businesses to reopen safely.

The second program that John discussed was their Bridge Program. This program is a 5 year commitment from corporations who sponsor an entrepreneur in their community. These corporations sponsor the entrepreneur’s membership and programming and offer mentorship. They had over 40 entrepreneurs apply to be paired with the 25 corporate sponsors. All but 1 of the corporate sponsors got their first choice of their entrepreneur. For their next round, they are adding 10 more corporate sponsors and entrepreneurs with a focus on minority entrepreneurs.

John suggests that a Chamber needs to have a vision for their community. He believes that a Chamber needs to understand their lane (leadership vs. support). This past year has also confirmed John’s belief that a Chamber needs to be adaptable and nimble.

If you would like to connect with John about anything he discussed in this episode you can see his contact information below:

• jurbahns@greaterfortwayneinc.com
• gfwinc.com

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Tom Baldrige, President & CEO of the Lancaster Chamber joins us for this episode in our 2021 ACCE Chamber of the Year Finalist Series.

Tom was a past guest on Chamber Chat back in episode 98 as he talked about adjusting business models.

In our discussion, Tom shares details about the two program synopsis that were submitted with their Chamber of the Year application.

The first program that Tom shared is about is called Recovery Lancaster. The Lancaster Chamber played a key role in helping businesses get what they needed to get through the COVID shutdowns. The Chamber helped to distribute over $45 million in grant money with the average grant amount being around $23,000. They distributed 8,500 PPE kits to allow businesses to remain operational. Together with the EDC, the County, and the Chamber, business based information was gathered and distributed. None of the benefits from Recovery Lancaster were exclusive to Chamber members. They went about serving all businesses in their community.

The second program that Tom discussed was called Words that Activate Change. This program is focused around the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that the Lancaster Chamber values. This was a collection of personal and opinion based columns that told the stories. These columns were published in the Chamber’s Thriving Magazine and were also shared through social media.

Tom encourages listeners to not wait for permission before acting on a mission based idea.

If you would like to connect with Tom about anything he discussed in this episode you can see his contact information below:

• tbaldrige@lancasterchamber.com

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Allen Smith, President & CEO of OneSpartanburg, Inc. joins us for this episode in our 2021 ACCE Chamber of the Year Finalist Series.

As this episode goes live, the Chamber of the Year winners have been announced and OneSpartanburg, Inc. was named the Category 3 ACCE Chamber of the Year Winner!

In our discussion, Allen shares details about the two program synopsis that were submitted with their Chamber of the Year application.

The first program that Allen shared is about the revision, reimagining, and rebranding of their organization to become OneSpartanburg, Inc. Previous to this change, the Chamber, EDC, and CVB were siloed into their respective areas of work and they did not recognize their competitive advantage joining the forces of these departments together. This was a 16 month long journey of changing mindsets and responsibilities to become more effective. The decided that “Chamber” sounded too exclusive to part of the rebrand was a name change as well.

The second program that Allen discussed was their business recovery taskforce that was coined “Bring Back the Burg“. This 34 person steering committee established 19 benchmarks that would measure recovery from the negative business and economic impacts from the pandemic. In June of 2021, they shut down this taskforce because they had already met 18 of the 19 benchmarks. On top of that, they have seen $1.2 Billion in new investment since January 1.

Allen encourages listeners to have a plan for your Chamber that is based on data to best serve the needs of your community.

If you would like to connect with Jim about anything he discussed in this episode you can see his contact information below:

• asmith@onespartanburginc.com

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Tony Howard, President & CEO of the Loudoun Chamber joins us for this episode in our 2021 ACCE Chamber of the Year Finalist Series.

In our discussion, Tony shares details about the two program synopsis that were submitted with their Chamber of the Year application.

The first program that Tony addressed was how the Loudoun Chamber responded to the effects of the COVID pandemic to their business community. Within the first few weeks, the Chamber had made contact with all 1,100 members to check on their status and needs. They shifted to virtual online meeting platforms and were able to continue forward with about 90% of their committees and events.

The second program that Tony shared was about their affordable housing program. The Chamber introduced a comprehensive land use plan with a goal to help bridge the gap especially for those who are early in their careers, typically with lower incomes to have housing options at an affordable rate with the cost of home ownership on the rise. Tony mentioned the investment that is made in educating the students in their community just to have them leave the area once they graduate because they can’t afford to live their on an entry level income. Their plan would allow for 11,000 new affordable housing units.

Tony stressed the important need for Chambers to be a change agent and true leaders in their communities.

If you would like to connect with Tony about anything he discussed in this episode you can see his contact information below:

• thoward@loudounchamber.org
• 571-209-9020

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Roy Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber joins us for this episode in our 2021 ACCE Chamber of the Year Finalist Series.

In our discussion, Roy shares details about the two program synopsis that were submitted with their Chamber of the Year application.

The first program that Roy addressed was based around how the North Central Massachusetts Chamber responded to support their business community in the early onset of the pandemic. As part of their economic development umbrella, they normally have a micro loan program the typically facilitates small business loans. They established an emergency loan program to help businesses bridge the gap until state and federal aid could arrive. They accepted $425,000 from doners. They also facilitated $2.7 million in PPP loans through their economic development loan program with an average of $14,000 per business.

The second program that Roy talked about was around the topic of education and workforce development. The chamber rolled out a new niche regional job board at worknorthcentral.com. This regional job board in addition to helping businesses find the right employees, it also created a new tiered dues benefit.

A key takeaway from my discussion with Roy was that there are solutions for every Chamber that would like to offer lending options to do so, whether that be through certifications or strategic partnerships, there are several options.

If you would like to connect with Roy about anything he discussed in this episode you can see his contact information below:

• northcentralmass.com
• rnascimento@northcentralmass.com
• 978-353-7600

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

Jim Page, President & CEO of The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama joins us for this episode in our 2021 ACCE Chamber of the Year Finalist Series.

As this episode goes live, the Chamber of the Year winners have been announced and The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama was named the Category 2 ACCE Chamber of the Year Winner!

In our discussion, Jim shares details about the two program synopsis that were submitted with their Chamber of the Year application.

The first program that Jim shared has to do with the Chamber’s response to the COVID pandemic. Like many Chamber, they had to mobilize fast to respond to the needs of their business community. Some of their accomplishments were the formation of a small business relief fund that distributed over $1,000,000 to over 300 businesses, the creation of a statewide PPE database and a regional childcare database, commercials, and PSAs to keep the spirits up in their community.

The second program that Jim discussed was their West Alabama Works regional workforce development council that covers 9 counties. They take a business and industry approach as they work to educate educators about workforce opportunities for students.

Jim mentioned how important it is for a Chamber to always be innovating. Chambers need to have a value proposition that businesses can’t afford to miss out on.

If you would like to connect with Jim about anything he discussed in this episode you can see his contact information below:

• tuscaloosachamber.com
• westalabamaworks.com
• jim@tuscaloosachamber.com

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.

James McCoy, President & CEO of the Forsyth County Chamber joins us for this episode as we start the category 2 phase of our 2021 ACCE Chamber of the Year Finalist Series. This is the second year in a row that the Forsyth County Chamber has been been selected as a Chamber of the Year Finalist.

In our discussion, James shares details about the two program synopsis that were submitted with their Chamber of the Year application.

The first program that James addressed was based around how the Forsyth County Chamber mobilized to collect and distribute relief funds to businesses in need as a result from the COVID-19 pandemic. The FOCO Chamber also partnered with local home owners associations in an effort to connect with not just the business community, but also the residents of their community to further spread their message.

The second program that James talked about is how they had to quickly shift the direction of their economic development efforts. The adjustment was made to allow for virtual site visits with 3D tours and drone footage to help paint a better picture of Forsyth County. This effort led to $42 million in new capitol.

James shared how important it was for their Chamber to be nimble and able to move quickly on these programs. It was important for their Chamber to have the data driven confidence to move forward with these ideas.

If you would like to connect with James about anything he discussed in this episode you can see his contact information at focochamber.org.

You can also find my previous interview with James at chamberchatpodcast.com/episode75.

FREE resources to help you better serve your Chamber members and your community.

As you focus on your Chamber’s mission and purpose, you will find that your publications say a lot about your organization. Community Matters, Inc. is an award-winning Chamber publisher that would like to help your Chamber with your next Chamber Directory, Guide, or Map. Community Matters has a turn-key program that is very simple. In the end, your Chamber has a great looking printed & digital publication that will represent your Chamber very well while providing a smooth source of non-dues revenue. Click here to learn more.