Local chambers of commerce are associations of businesses that come together to improve the local economic climate and help members network and find new business. Strong employers link with and learn from like-minded peer companies through business-led chambers of commerce.
Consumers favor chamber members
A national study by the The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based market research firm, revealed a number of important findings about how consumers perceive businesses that are members of their local chambers of commerce:
o Consumers are 63 percent more likely to buy products from companies that they believe are chamber members
o Consumers who are told that a business is a chamber member are 57% more likely to think positively of its local reputation
Businesses favor chamber members
When business decision-makers believe that a business is a chamber member, they are 37% more likely to think favorably of the business, 51% more likely to be highly aware of it, 58% more likely to think positively of its local reputation, and 59% more likely to buy goods and services from it.
Best Places to work belong to local chambers
The best places in which to work tend to belong to their local chamber of commerce, according to a recent study by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). Of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in the United States and Canada this year, 94 are members of their local chamber, including all of the top 24.
“This ‘Best Companies to Work For’ information is one more indication that the best companies tend to be chamber members,” according to ACCE President Mick Fleming. “If a company cares about its employees, there’s a good chance it also cares about its community and the chamber is the way that great employers invest in both.”
