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Welcome to The South Suburban Chamber of Commerce

Because doing business has gotten so much more complicated, the benefits and services a Chamber of Commerce offer have become more varied. There are tangible advantages for businesses becoming Chamber members. Chambers still provide a vehicle through which professional people and businesses can work for the common good of their communities, but they also serve many roles other than community service provider.

Today’s South Suburban Chamber of Commerce can be a versatile and powerful business tool, and can mean many things to many businesses. All of these resources mean one thing for businesses and communities today: ACCESS IS POWER.

For example, small and mid-sized businesses can take advantage of perks usually reserved for big corporations--things like visibility, business advocacy, and resources. For some companies, the Chamber can assist with things they simply don’t have the time, energy, interest, or skill to accomplish on their own, including advertising, public relations, and event planning.

Chamber membership also increases legislative bargaining power for all businesses. Chamber members work together to impact decisions at the local, county, or state level by providing information to its members and facilitating forums with legislators and city officials. The clout of a unified business voice shapes the business environment of the future. When it comes to representing the needs of the business community, there is indeed strength in numbers.

For many business leaders, Chamber membership is an excellent networking opportunity. By increasing the contact and awareness among businesses, Chambers develop strong relationships within local business communities. This is becoming an increasingly important function in this era of regional development cooperation and globalization.

From increased access to community planning and the shaping of public policy, to allowing business leaders to draw from the knowledge and expertise of fellow Chamber members, Chambers are singular in their ability to assist businesses of ALL sizes. The South Suburban Chamber also benefits the communities it serves by providing events and services and promoting the growth of the local economy which, as we all know, is the foundation of every community.

The South Suburban Chamber is an exciting and vital business resource. Access provided by the Chamber gives businesses and their communities the power to grow and succeed. And that is something that helps all of us.

WHAT IS A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE?

The South Suburban Chamber is a voluntary partnership of business and professional people organized to advance the general welfare and prosperity of Oak Creek, Franklin and the surrounding communities so that its citizens and business community shall prosper.

Chamber members are businesses, organizations, and professional men and women that are concerned with the socio-economic climate of the community. They have joined together because they know they stand a better chance of getting things done when they are informed on the issues. Chamber members support civic, social and cultural improvements and assist in the development of our community.

We invite you to become more involved and take advantage of some of these benefits. Listed below are just some of the programs your business could participate and benefit from.

Investment in your Chamber means:

Networking
Community Development and Involvement
Member Resources
Customer Loyalty and Reliability
Safety and Employee Educational Programs
Advertising and Accessibility through Resource Guides, Maps and Websites
Business Growth
Affinity Programs including business equipment and Insurance
Member-to-Member Discounts
Business Relationship Building
Giving Back to the Community with Scholarships, Health Fairs, Career Expos,
Tourism and Economic Development

Bottom line? Your company saves money, gets noticed, receives recognition as a good corporate citizen, builds lasting business relationships, and participates in the support and building of the communities!

CHAMBER COMMITTEES

Marketing Committee
Responsible for building Chamber membership.

Partners in Education (PIE)
Facilitates the process of bringing Chamber members and the educational community together to explore partnerships for school-to-work, apprenticeship opportunities, student internships, and student career interest/awareness--a wonderful opportunity to impact how your future employees are prepared for the working world. PIE also manages the application and selection process for scholarships provided by the Chamber to local high school students.

Legislative Committee
Serves as a legislative watchdog group, monitoring legislative issues and bills and provides updates for members, acting as liaison and business advocate for the South Suburban Chamber with municipal, county, state and federal elected representatives. This commitee also arranges meetings with legislators which provide an opportunity to impacts the legislative process that affects your business

Events Committee
Develops and manages a variety of the South Suburban Chamber's special events:

develops and manages the Chamber's annual golf outing (one of the Chamber's primary member-networking and revenue-generating events)
develops, plans, and manages the Chamber's annual membership meeting and dinner
and promote the awards for Business of the Year and Pride in Premises.

Finance Committee
The primary function and responsibiltity of this committee is to monitor the finances and accounting records of the Chamber, review financial statements to the Board of Directors, including the profitability of individual events. They also review investments and earnings of the Chamber and provide input to other commitees relative to the Chamber's finances. The Finance Commitee provides assistance in the annual review of the membership dues structure and the annual budget.

Introducing the South Suburban Young Professionals (SoSubYP)!
The South Suburban Young Professionals is a NEW committee within the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce. We're currently seeking committee members to help form the development of this exciting initiative.

SoSubYP Mission:
Connect and engage Oak Creek/Franklin area young professionals to strengthen the business community and provide opportunities for personal and professional development. Cultivate the next generation of Oak Creek/Franklin area leaders and foster networking opportunities and community participation.

SoSubYP will acieve its purpose by:

Providing programming tailored to the needs of young professionals while connecting and engaging them with the Oak Creek/Franklin area business community.
Encouraging active participation in the chamber and Oak Creek/Franklin community by introducing members to leadership and growth opportunities within the region.
Organizing community service opportunities that acclimate young professionals to the non-profit and charitable organizations in the region while fulfilling local needs.

How to get involved!
Membership is complimentary and all 20-30 something professionals are welcome. Reasonable fees for event/program attendance (Discount given to South Suburban Chamber of Commerce members). Not a "Young Professional" but want to get involved? We're looking for advisors and mentors to guide our programming! Does this remind you of someone? Let us know! We appreciate referrals.

Contact Information:
Chair, Cassandra Donahoe
Phone: 262-785-5112
www.southsuburbanchamber.com
Find our LinkedIn Group: SoSubYP
Email: Cassandra.donahoe@ottawa.edu

The South Suburban Chamber is moving ahead, and we’re looking forward to you actively building the Chamber with us!