Written by: Sarah Hubbard

My partner Kevin Korpi and I are chamber of commerce junkies.  I worked for the Detroit Regional Chamber for 17 years.  Kevin worked for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and then the Michigan Chamber of Commerce for a total of 10 years. 

Our firm Acuitas, is a member of numerous chambers around Michigan.  The Detroit Regional Chamber and the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance are some of our clients. The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce was a client once before too.  We recommend all of our clients join the chamber, wherever they are.

We know what makes a chamber of commerce tick and how members derive value for their investments.

And we’re here to tell you now, don’t cancel that chamber membership due to the COVID-19 crisis.  If anything, double down if your finances permit.

What Does A Chamber of Commerce Do?

No other organization represents the business community like a chamber of commerce.  No other brand is recognized across the globe as an organization fighting for the rights of employers.  And no other group balances the needs of the business community with the needs of the general community like a local chamber of commerce.

How Can Joining A Chamber Help Me?

Right now, your chamber is trying to figure out how to navigate complicated government processes and protect your rights so you can stay focused on keeping your business afloat.  Chambers are talking to governors, state legislators, members of Congress, county executives, commissioners, council persons and any other person with a .gov email address, in order to convince them how important it is that the economy is not the antithesis of public health.  Both can coexist safely and prosperously together.

Chambers are your businesses life raft in the troubled waters of COVID-19.  They were the life raft for you during the great recession and they will be again the next time a crisis rolls around.

You might be getting some value out of your membership via discounts on office supplies and other tangible goods, but you can’t put a price on the value you’re receiving from your chamber’s advocacy efforts aimed at the government – federal, state and local.  Over many years, your chamber’s leaders have built relationships between their organizations and a myriad of public officials.  Always trying to find the right opportunity and opening to showcase a public official’s comments while subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) educating them to the realities of providing jobs.

We hope you’ll take advantage of all the programming chambers across the country are providing (mostly free of charge) to keep you engaged with government and business leaders.  They’re doing it for YOU in hopes it will help YOU survive.