How to Get the Most Out of Your Chamber Of Commerce

What is a Chamber of Commerce?

A chamber of commerce is an organization of businesses seeking to promote their businesses, while boosting their community.

Chamber missions vary, but here's a quick overview:

They work to attract businesses and tourists to the area.
They want to see their community succeed!
Local businesses pay fees to join the chamber and volunteer to help wherever they are needed.
It has a board of directors that guides the procedures of the chamber.
While most chambers work closely with government, they are not part of government.

What Does the Chamber of Commerce Do?

The Chamber of Commerce works to help keep small businesses alive. It gives businesses the opportunity to meet with other local business owners and network. Of course, they also present business owners in a positive light to the community.

Through lobbying activities and grants the Chamber of Commerce can help to find funding to improve a local area.

Our local West Branch Chamber is located at the Old Train Station. They are working toward restoring the Old Train Station building, and making the whole building into a Visitors Center. The Chamber building is the oldest standing building in West Branch!

If you go to the West Branch Chamber of Commerce page you can download their app and keep up with the latest projects, business openings and events going on in Ogemaw County. For instance, they plan activities like the Rodeo, Circus, Business Expo, Parades, etc.

Video Spotlights shows you an overview of all the business members and you can take a tour of their business.

You can even see who's hiring on their Job site!

Why I joined the West Branch Chamber of Commerce

I have been a member of the West Branch Chamber of Commerce for many years. I'm an ambassador for the Chamber, which means I attend the monthly meetings to keep up on the latest news in the community and to help out where needed.

It has been more difficult to be involved during the pandemic, but I have attended new business ribbon cuttings, volunteered at the Ogemaw County Fairgrounds, collected business cards and flyers from different businesses to display at the Chamber, and passed out flyers of what's going on in the community. I have helped to decorate and prepare for events, like the Business Expo and Back to the Bricks event.

I am the official photographer for the Chamber, so I also photograph all the board members and ambassadors, as well as the attendees of the Winter Ball (as shown below) and also photograph their annual golf outing and the participants. This helps me get to know other people in Ogemaw County and to help out the community. (And it is a lot of fun!)

What's the Chamber Winter Ball?

One of the annual events that the Chamber of Commerce holds is their Winter Ball and Outstanding Awards held on February 28 this year. The theme was "Through the Ages." It's a fundraiser as well as dinner, dancing and live entertainment. They held auctions, one online and one as a silent auction, to raise money for the advancement of the new building renovation project. It was held at the West Branch Forward's Conference Center.