This Chamber is in Business For You

Each fall marks the beginning of our volunteer-driven total resource campaign for the Gwinnett Chamber and we are excited to have nearly 40 teams and more than 200 volunteers participating this year. These volunteers are being led by our 2009 Campaign Co-Chairs Ron and Laurie Garrard with Garrard Construction and will be recruiting new members and sponsors to the Chamber as we continue our successful efforts to enhance Gwinnett and metro Atlanta’s reputation as one of the best places to live and work in the U.S.
Considering Gwinnett averages more than 20,000 new residents each year and there are more than 400 new firms that are members of the Chamber since January alone, it’s important from time to time to share what many may not know about their Chamber and our vision for the future.

So, if you’re reading this and not a member, we hope you’ll join us and invest in your business growth and the community in which you live or do business. If you already are a member, we hope you enjoy what you’ve helped to create and we look forward to our continued partnership.

The Gwinnett Chamber’s vision is simple – it’s about success. To help you as an individual succeed, help your company succeed and help our community succeed. That’s why our community’s motto is “Success Lives Here.” And the Chamber’s servant-leadership role in creating opportunities for success is evident in our motto, “In Business For You.”

Named one of the top three metro chambers in the United States by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Gwinnett Chamber is one of the largest and most dynamic business and regional economic development organizations in the Southeastern United States. In fact, the Gwinnett Chamber is the 6th largest Chamber in the Southeast.

With more than 2,500 companies representing a combined employment of more than 750,000 employees and more than $200 billion in revenue, the Gwinnett Chamber is a leader in job creation and retention, community development, and in growing local businesses for Gwinnett County, metro Atlanta and the Innovation Crescent regions of Georgia.

Unlike most Chambers our size, we are focused on entrepreneurial and growth-stage companies and nearly 85 percent of our members are small businesses with less than 50 employees. We are also regional in scope with approximately 32 percent of our members headquartered outside of Gwinnett County.

The Gwinnett Chamber works in six key areas: economic development, small business and entrepreneurial development, education, public policy, membership development and communications. Community development efforts also include programs to promote the arts, revitalization, law enforcement and leadership development.

The Gwinnett Chamber leads what has been recognized nationally as one of the best job creation efforts in the nation, the community’s long-term, public-private economic and community development strategy called Partnership Gwinnett. Since its launch, more than 100 companies relocated or expanded major new facilities in Gwinnett including the corporate global headquarters for two Fortune 500 firms – NCR and Asbury Automotive. These announcements accounted for more than 6,000 new high-wage jobs and hundreds of millions in new capital investment in spite of the current recession.

The biggest benefits to membership include networking opportunities, community involvement, image enhancement, political advocacy, information access, numerous discounts, and heightened credibility. Most of the 200+ programs offered each year to members are focused on these areas.

All of this could not have been accomplished without the voluntary investments of our members and as a non-profit all revenue is re-invested back into membership or community development programs.

More detailed information about the Chamber can be found on our award-winning Web site at www.gwinnettchamber.org. We hope you’ll take the time to explore and discuss new opportunities to become engaged with your Chamber with our staff or campaign volunteers.

Join the Chamber, get engaged, and let us help you become Gwinnett’s next great success story.

By Jim Maran