Do the Best Companies Join Chambers of Commerce?

Posted May 6, 2008

Want to know how to be a “best” company – – one where employees want to work, one that delivers on customer service, and one that is involved in the community? See below.

The best places 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.

Separately, ACCE found that in a random sample of 100 companies in the Fortune 1000, at least 75 were members of their local chamber.

“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.”

While we may not be Fortune magazine, almost half of the finalists and winners of the “Best Places to Work in Mississippi”, sponsored by the Miss. Business Journal, are members of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce. The list is quite impressive.

With all the new growth and expansions, consumers seem to expect chamber members to be better-than-average companies. A study by the Atlanta-based Schapiro Group last year found that consumers are 63 percent more likely to buy products from companies that they believe are chamber members. Is your company on the list?

The Madison County Chamber of Commerce is an association of businesses that come together to improve the local economic climate and help members network and find new business. Employers link with and learn from like-minded peer companies through a business-led civic organization, a chamber of commerce.

Even though gloom and doom, as predicted by the national media, is at our front door step, I would offer a much more optimistic outlook about our future. Banding together, networking, and staying in touch with customers is a must. Now, more than ever businesses need each other and a business organization to keep them in touch. Your chamber membership investment needs to be the first payment you make every year, instead of the last one.

Sherribeth Farmer, BankPlus and President-elect of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce said, “I find in my experience, that the single most effective voice on issues is the chamber. Because of that, we want to be involved. Regardless of the issues, people most interested in the community are members of the local chamber, And, by working together, lots of good things get accomplished.”

I get to visit many local chambers and appreciate what they do – because it’s my job too. It is easy for me to see the great value that many of these chambers provide their members in so many areas – – showing member companies how to be excellent and appreciated employers by partnering in developing great programs and sharing best practices.

“We are not surprised that many of the best companies join chambers of commerce,” said Mick Fleming. “And, I believe when more people are aware of this, we’re going to see still more firms joining their local chamber and getting involved.”