The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce was recently recognized as one of the top 10 chambers in the country for membership retention in its division by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
“Becoming a member of the Chamber is an exciting moment for a lot of new or small businesses,” said Natalie Redmond, Vice President of Membership. “It cements in many residents’ minds that the business is reputable and ready to serve customers.”
But joining the Chamber is just the start. Having so many members see benefits of membership and remaining a part of the Chamber is what earned this recognition.
“Businesses join for a variety of reasons – to increase foot traffic in their doors, to support economic development, to have a larger voice in legislative advocacy efforts, but why they stay is important,” said R. Patt Lilly, President and CEO. “We’ve seen high retention rates, because members recognize that not only do they receive benefits like educational and networking opportunities, but being a part of the Chamber is a way to support their community.”
The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce was in the top 10 in its division based on ACCE’s Fiscal Year 2017 Operations Survey via Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking. Other chambers in the division to receive the recognition include the Greater Green Bay, Wisc., Chamber and the Toledo, Ohio, Regional Chamber of Commerce, among others. It had an 88 percent retention rate for 2017.
In 2015, the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce was recognized as Chamber of the Year by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2017, it grew to be the third largest Chamber of Commerce in the state of Missouri.
“We are honored by these recognitions from our peers, but ultimately we are most proud of the support of our more than 1,300 member businesses and our community partners,” Lilly said.
Photo: Members of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce at the New Executives Welcome