Why should a business be a member of the Chamber of Commerce?

When a businessperson asks, "Why should my business be a member of the Chamber of Commerce?" our answer is straightforward -

A business should be a Chamber of Commerce member for two reasons:

To help build your business; and,

To help build your community.

It's a simple as that.  There is simply no better organization, no better business group, no better civic organization to help build your business and this community we call home. Click here to apply for membership.

To help build your business ...

Chamber membership gives a business, your business, the opportunity to make money - both directly and indirectly.  The Chamber Business Advantage offers each of our Chamber member enterprises the broadest, most diverse business opportunity network available in our region - each day, every day.

Our Chamber makes business referrals every day - from restaurant, lodging and tourism referrals to banking, real estate and professional referrals, via our web site - www.greenecoc.org - or by the old-fashioned telephone and word-of-mouth method.  We get calls from people in cars on cell phones looking for the Historic Stanardsville, the Court House, the County Administration Building and other destinations.

Our Chamber website - www.greenecoc.org - attracts thousands of visitors on a monthly basis.  Those web "hits" result in more than 25,000 visitor "views" of selected Chamber member listings each month.  Also, each month many of those web site visitors clicked through a specific Chamber member hot-link, accessing their business web sites directly.  In this manner, the Chamber offers the best-targeted business opportunity in the region.

Our Chamber's "network of business opportunities" draw even more people to our regular Chamber networking events - which means more people talking and doing business with each other; good old-fashioned commerce.  Where else does such a large-scale pool of business prospects to sell to, or buy from, exist?  Nowhere!  This is another key element of our Chamber Business Advantage.

In addition, our Chamber is constantly innovating, looking for new ways to promote our Chamber businesses.  For example - our Chamber Member-to-Member Discount program generates regular sales activities for dozens of Chamber enterprises, while our "neighborhood welcome packages" make new homeowners in the area aware of the many place to do business right here in Greene County.

Chamber membership gives your business the opportunity to increase your business' and your employees' business skills advantage  - again, both directly and indirectly.  This Chamber Business Advantage offers Chamber member enterprises the opportunity to build business and workforce skills.

Annually, representatives of our membership have the opportunity to gain specific business and workforce skills at a wide range of business workshops, seminars and forums held by local Chamber Councils and Chamber Round Tables.

The Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce's "Business Education Round Table," in fact, is working in eight "Industry Clusters " ( Agribusiness, Business/Financial Services, Construction, Health Services, Hospitality/Tourism, Manufacturing, Retail and Technology ) to help shape better workforce preparedness and development programs for our area.

Chamber membership brings to your business the ability to access our Chamber's Business Advocacy  - again, both directly and indirectly.  This Chamber Business Advantage offers Chamber member enterprises the opportunity to build understanding and support for business products, services and projects.

Our Chamber Board of Directors and our various committees actively engage in local public policy matters and decision-making with our Chamber member interests in mind.  Chamber advocacy offers public decision-makers and citizens at large focused insight into the business and economic vitality aspects of public policy.

To help build your community.

Our Chamber and Chamber members have led successful community building in Greene County.  This Chamber Business Advantage - gained through constructive and proactive Chamber leadership - benefits all enterprise and the community at large in the true spirit of "asking what you can do for your county."  Building our community helps sustain and strengthen overall economic vitality.  Vibrant enterprise adds investment and jobs in our community while adding even more to the civic and charitable engines of our community.

The real power of Chamber enterprises, of course, is the people who make up those enterprises and in turn make up our Chamber.  Chamber business volunteers are readily distinguished as key business and civic leaders in building and sustaining the economic vitality and quality of life in Greene County.

Our strength is - and always has been - our Chamber membership. Chamber members are involved at every level in assessing risks and implementing new business enterprises in the community.  As our area's economy evolves further toward a market led by education, highly-skilled technology-based jobs, retail, agri-business and tourism, the Chamber remains a pivotal, central fulcrum, keeping our members in direct contact with other businesses, markets, the workforce, education and governmental agencies.

Since our founding, the Greene County Chamber of Commerce has been "dedicated to advancing the economic vitality and quality of life in the Greene County area so that the entire community shall prosper."   We are a dynamic, strong, innovative business alliance built for the 21 st Century.

The Chamber is the county's premier - broadest, influential, involved - business and civic organization.  The Chamber is key to building a business and building a community - two reasons for any enterprise to be a Chamber of Commerce member.

Value-Added Benefits With Optima Health Association Plans

If you are a member of the Greene County Chamber of Commerce and you have between 2 and 99 employees - you are eligible to receive additional value-added* benefits from Optima Health for your employees and their families.

» Click here to for details!