It’s good to be with you again. This week’s post will be about the value that the Chamber brings to its members and the business community at large.

Business – to – Business Networking

Being a member of the Chamber gives you immense opportunity to network with fellow members! In addition to our Annual Economic Summit the Chamber also host mixers and a Business Referral Network – a biweekly gathering that facilitates business referrals between members. Three new business opportunities are formed from these meetings every month. If you are not currently a member of the Business Referral Network sign up soon – meetings are held every other Tuesday. You can find more information on the Chamber’s website: rcoc.com.

Advocacy for the Business Community

One of the main goals of the Chamber is to advocate on behalf of the business community in Richmond. When new ordinances or measures are proposed we work to ensure that local businesses are kept in mind as you drive the local economy. For example, when the plastic ordinance was passed recently, I personally reached out to members of the City Council to create better terms for small local businesses. Instead of only allotting businesses one month to become compliant we were able to negotiate for six, allowing those affected businesses time to utilize their current inventory and fall in step with the new ordinance. This sort of advocacy is a cornerstone of what we do at the Chamber of Commerce and we take great pride in representing your voice in local government.

Free Websites & Promotional Videos

Because creating a website can be difficult and hosting that site is certainly expensive, for members who’ve signed up at the Power Networking Level, the Chamber provides free web development and hosting services, a $3000 value. This service is designed to take a load off of the business owner by taking care of the time, effort, and expense that goes into creating and hosting a site. The average hosting fee can cost up to $200 a year, an expenditure saved by allowing the Chamber to host your website. For businesses like Up and Under Pub, it’s a great benefit that allows owners to focus on the day to day of their business and leave the marketing to someone else. Here are some sample websites the Chamber created for our members.

Up and Under Pub https://theupandunder.com/

Clean Point Energy http://www.cleanpointenergy.com/

Finesse Bookkeeping and Tax Service https://www.finessebookkeepingandtaxservice.com/

We work closely with our members, even taking photos if needed, to ensure that we create websites that are both beautiful and functional.

If you don’t need a website, members who sign up for this service can also get a 5 minute promotional videos for their business – for more information on this membership benefit feel free to reach out to me directly.

Here are two of the videos we put together for our members:

(the above video reached over 3000 people in one month and the café gained new customers from outside of Richmond.)

There are so many resources the Chamber offers to its members. If you are a member, please ask us how we can help promote your business. If you are not a member, contact us and we’ll help create a marketing strategy for your business.

Finally, before we close out for the week, I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the grand opening of the BridgeARTSpace this past Friday. I had the opportunity to attend the launch party and tour the newly opened co-working space and I have to say it is amazing. For the creative minds in the city (and for those more geared toward business) the BridgeARTSpace allows people to pay monthly fees and access the film and art studio they’ve recently opened as well as the beautiful gardens they have throughout the property. If you’ve been looking for a space to create artistic work or simply looking for a beautiful space to spend time at the BridgeARTSpace is a location, you should check out.Well, that’s the show for this week. Don’t forget to share how the Chamber benefits you and your business on Facebook and Twitter. See you next Monday,

I believe that success is communal: ensuring the health, well being, and comfort of our families, friends, neighbors. I believe that success is best shared: bridging ties between corporations, local leaders, and constituents to create a city that will serve a snapshot into the best aspects of the American spirit: diversity, equity, and a drive to innovate.