That’s what business owners are most concerned about, right?
While we at The Chamber believe that to be true in many ways, we also appreciate that business owners have a wide range of other concerns, interests, and motivations that don’t directly stem from how much revenue they can generate because of it.
That being said, we know eating is super important and we like to encourage, facilitate, and support as many opportunities for our members to grow their businesses, and feed their families, as possible.
Sometimes, that means organizing networking events so that you can make powerful connections to other community members that can help you grow…
“Being a member of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce has introduced me to business leaders throughout the county, which as the CEO of a nonprofit organization is critical. Spreading the word about your organization and its mission is important for any nonprofit who relies on their community for support and with Chamber events happening all the time, I have the opportunity to do just that. In a broader sense, Chamber membership allows me to support nonprofits across the county, which in the end makes Frederick a better place to live.”
– Michael Planz, CEO, Community Living, Inc.
And, sometimes it just means giving you a way to increase brand awareness for both other business owners and members of the public alike…
“My involvement in the Chamber has been incredibly beneficial in increasing awareness of Other Voices Theatre! At every Chamber function, I meet someone that doesn’t know about the theater, and I am able to gain another audience member or sometimes a sponsor for a production. My Chamber membership is well worth all of the new faces that we continue to welcome to our shows.”
– Susan Thornton, Artistic Director
At the end of the day, our primary goal is to support our members’ businesses in ways that allow them to experience the growth and sustainability they desire.
Because we know that when all of you succeed, all of Frederick County succeeds, and that’s what we want for the county we call home.
So, how exactly does The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce make that happen?
Let us count the ways.
The Six Real Ways Your Chamber Membership Can Help Grow Your Business Today
Business Advocacy: We advocate for you.
We maintain relationships with community leaders and elected officials.
While The Chamber of Commerce remains a nonpartisan entity, we do cultivate relationships with local and state level government officials in order to be the voice of our members in political debates and decisions that impact them.
We work hard to ensure our elected officials know what our business owners want and need from them, we advocate on behalf of the entire business community in Frederick, and we provide education and information that allows our members to make informed decisions for their businesses when it comes to voting for policies and leaders.
And, we give you the opportunity to advocate for yourself.
You get to be more than “that guy who’s always sending us letters.” With the numerous events we organize and host each year geared at providing our members access to elected officials and other government leaders, we make it easy for you to have meaningful discourse with those individuals who make decisions for our county. From legislative agenda development meetings to after-hours business card exchanges, we want our members to feel as connected to our community and those who help run it as we do.
Business Connections: We make networking beneficial.
We host meaningful networking events.
Every business owner knows the power of networking, but is every networking opportunity created equal?
Networking does its best work for your business when it is done with intention. The Chamber takes care of that for our members by providing valuable networking opportunities with key players in the Frederick community who are responsible for making decisions, generating revenue, and/or having great community impact.
Chamber members are invited to several exclusive networking events organized to help you have memorable, beneficial interactions with a variety of area business leaders.
Business Development: We help you grow your knowledge and skills in ways that can directly impact how you do business.
We offer numerous business seminars, workshops, and presentations.
The Chamber provides members with access to a variety of business development seminars and workshops hosted by community experts and/or Chamber staff members.
In October alone, we had expert Adam Cubbage from Centerpoint Strategic Business services teach our Generation Connect group how to perfect their networking strategy in Networking 101, we hosted a training given by Virtual Essential Management, LLC, for those who wanted to learn how to use Microsoft 365, we had the Liquor Board teach non-profits about the liquor laws in the county, and we hosted a Lunch & Learn where Sandler Training taught a course on hiring the right employees for the job.
We have several educational opportunities available to our members every month and, in 2019, we will be bringing you topics that you’ve asked for, like how to utilize social media marketing to grow your business.
Business Savings: We provide opportunities to save on electricity and more.
You and all of your employees can save on electricity.
One of our most cost-beneficial member benefits is our energy co-op administered by CQI.
This program allows individuals to save significant dollars on their energy bills each year and is available to all Frederick County Chamber of Commerce members and their employees.
They administer both a commercial and a residential program that all members are eligible to enroll in. That means that, when you sign up, you can save on energy costs at your business location, and at home, and so can everyone who works for you!
It is a wonderful benefit to be able to pass on to those who work for you, and it only takes a minute to sign up.
We also have a Member 2 Member discount program.
Because getting cool things from your fellow clubmates is one of the best things about being in a cool club, right?
We offer Member 2 Member discounts as a way for our members give to each other.
Obviously, participating makes people like you more, but it also helps build brand awareness among our members. And, the more people who know about you, the better, right?
Business Services: We help make your job easier.
We promote the heck out of you.
Maybe your social media game could use some work. While we won’t be able to do all of your social media promotions for you, we are available to give you some guidance and promotion via our channels, and all you have to do is keep us informed.
Thanks to our super interactive website, to inform us, you can just use our news and event submission forms: Submit news and events.
When you do, we add them to our newsletter, we put them on our website, and sometimes, we even share them on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages for you.
If you really want us to promote you, write a blog post for our site.
We love when our members share their business strategies and advice, give tips and tricks for how to streamline various processes in the workplace, talk about marketing, technology, and other innovative ways they’ve found success, and more.
If you think you have a great topic for a blog post and want to write it, you can learn about the submissions process here: How to Submit a Blog Post to the Chamber.
Corporate and Social Responsibility: You can get involved in advancing business interests in Frederick County
Participate in a program and do good work.
We have several programs and committees that pursue various goals and interests at The Chamber, and each one provides its members with the opportunity to interact with other business professionals and community leaders around a common interest or shared passion.
They are a great way to get involved in the Frederick community in a meaningful way.
Here are a few you may want to consider getting involved with:
- Business Health Program: provides information, tools, and resources for employers and employees to keep healthy and functioning at top performance
- Entrepreneur Council: facilitates, supports and encourages entrepreneurship in Frederick County through collaboration, outreach, education, and research services.
- Generation Connect: fosters ambition and builds community among young professionals who are paving the way for Frederick County’s future success and growth.
- Women in Business: empowers and develops women through education, networking, mentoring and partnerships and to promote opportunities for all women throughout Frederick County.
If you’re a new Chamber member or haven’t visited us in a while, we encourage you to sign up for a New Member Orientation, reach out to our member relations manager, Michael Kurtianyk (mkurtianyk@frederickchamber.org), or come by our offices in the Root Building at 118 N. Market St. for a visit.
Just bring chocolate. It makes us smile.
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.