Chamber of Commerce changing formats

Photo of Downtown Manchester, courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce

Do you know what the Chamber of Commerce does? Is it a government organization, a 501c3, or something else? Who can belong to it? Why is it important to Manchester? Manchester’s Chamber of Commerce is changing formats and with the format change comes the opportunity for everyone to find out the answers to these questions! 

In 2006, the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce had 110 members; in 2017 and again in 2018 it has 30 members. Chamber president Ray Berg explained at the September 10th noon Chamber meeting that this trend is happening to all Chambers, even Ann Arbor’s, and that in the last couple of years, Ann Arbor’s Chamber has had to downsize from a large office on Main Street to a small office on Hogback Road. Berg stated that Manchester’s Chamber has a cell phone and while he used to get daily calls asking questions about local businesses, the Chamber rarely receives calls now. 

With dwindling membership, the Chamber’s officers recognized that a change in format was needed and that monthly noon lunch meetings were no longer a sustainable model. Last year, the Chamber investigated merging with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), which is a Village of Manchester commission, but the two organizations decided against it. Instead the Chamber is moving to a quarterly evening social networking event with food and drinks at local restaurants. And the public is invited!

The first of these new format events will be Wednesday, November 7th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Two Black Sheep, located at 115 East Main Street. Current board members terms are all up. The Chamber will be holding 2019 elections that evening for all board positions. Contact the Chamber via email at webmaster@48158.com for more information or to RSVP! You do not need to be a member to attend.

Come find out answers to questions like, “Why can’t the Chamber be a fiduciary?” and “Which group runs the Carmel Apples at Halloween?” and “What role is there for a Chamber of Commerce in a era of Google?”

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.