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Chamber Structure

Vision Statement

The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce will be the primary business resource connection for businesses and business people in St. Charles.

Mission Statement

The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce is an inclusive and active membership organization that helps its members grow their businesses, their business knowledge, and business connections.

The Chamber is governed by a board of 10 members, a salaried president, and an additional staff of four. The Chamber is composed of five committees:

The Legislative Committee informs fellow members about legislative issues/projects on three levels: city, state and national, and educates members with topics that are useful to Chamber businesses.

The Business In Action Committee provides opportunities, programs, and services to assist Chamber members in growing their businesses, thereby enhancing the economic growth and vitality of our community.

The Membership Committee helps the Chamber increase new membership and develops existing members while keeping the many services of the Chamber in the forefront of members’ minds. The five LEAD$ networking groups are sub-groups of the Membership Committee and are made up of non-competing member businesses for the purpose of expanding their business through weekly networking meetings.

The Women’s Business Council Committee acts as a network for a more effective exchange of ideas among women in the community and the business or service organization they represent through monthly luncheon meetings.

St. Patrick’s Parade Committee provides a community event for children’s organizations, service clubs, civic organizations, schools, and local businesses to demonstrate their pride in the community and the heritage of our country.”

Each of the above committees has a chair and co-chair, meets monthly, and has a Chamber staff member who acts as liaison.

The Ambassadors Club is made up of members who serve in an honorary capacity as official public relations representatives to Chamber members. This club reports directly to the board, has a spokesperson, and a Chamber staff liaison.

Annual events produced by the Chamber are the Charlemagne Awards Dinner in January, the Business-to-Business Expo in the spring, our Annual Golf Outing in August, and the State of the Chamber FREE All Member Breakfast held every November.

The Chamber offers a gift certificate program. Gift certificates can be purchased in any denomination over $10 and can be redeemed at over 135 participating merchants. This program is available to Chamber members.

The Chamber’s technology is state-of-the-art. The website at www.stcharleschamber.com offers visitors 24-hour access to the Business Directory, event calendar, general Chamber information, and the monthly newsletter. The Community tab also provides easy, one-click links to important websites around the St. Charles area. All members are entitled to free links to their e-mail and business website.

The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization representing only dues-paying member businesses. It is not a government body and does not receive any federal, state, or local tax dollars. The Chamber is totally funded by member dues, sponsorships, subscription services, and fundraisers.

2008 MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS PACKAGE

• Membership lists and labels available online
• Telephone referrals
• Access to monthly Chamber Communiqué by e-mail or website
• Member-to-Member broadcast e-mails
• An opportunity to display your business brochures in our office
• Free listing in the www.stcharleschamber.com business directory
• Free email link & URL link on the Chamber website
• Registration by phone, or in person for any Chamber service, program, or event
• Free personal e-mail reminder service for all member events from the website calendar

The success of our business community provides a solid foundation for all aspects of the life we enjoy in St. Charles. The Chamber serves as a liaison between the business and residential community. Chamber membership gives your customers assurance that you are an involved business.

Referrals:

Each week hundreds of phone calls are received asking for referrals and information on St. Charles businesses. We always refer our members first!

Networking:

Participation in monthly and quarterly activities of the Chamber such as:

• Monthly Business After-Hours Mixers
• Monthly Women’s Business Council luncheons
• Access to our weekly LEAD$ groups
• Annual state of the chamber Member Breakfast
• Business-to-Business Expo
• Annual Paddleboat Mixer
• Annual Golf Outing
• Annual Awards Dinner
• Ribbon Cuttings

Marketing Services:

• Broadcast e-mails to chamber members
• Residential and Business Greeter Programs
• Event sponsorships
• Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Consultations
• St. Charles Chamber Gift Certificate Program
• Job Bank
• Hot Deals
• Events Calendar

Web Presence:

www.stcharleschamber.com
The Chamber website offers a free listing in the Business Directory, free e-mail link, free URL link, 24-hour coded access and e-mail reminder service for all Chamber events and programs. The members-login section allows access to membership lists and labels.

Publications:

Chamber publications include a monthly newsletter, local map, business listing and advertising opportunities in the St. Charles Chamber Magazine.

Information Source:

The Chamber provides a clearinghouse of information on a variety of topics relevant to business and community, most of which are free to its members.

Education:

Committees work hard to provide valuable programs and workshops for its members.

Monthly Newsletter:

Each month over 1,300 business contacts receive our newsletter. The Chamber Calendar, Current Events, New Member listings are included in each newsletter.

For more information about Chamber benefits please visit our website www.stcharleschamber.com