July2015_GVCC_RibbonCutting

The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce helps Hall Mediation Services and Cascade Collaborative cut the ribbon on their new offices in July 2015. Photo credit: GVCC

The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce has been serving Vancouver for 125 years, providing networking, advocacy and business services to the companies that employ our families, friends and neighbors.

The chamber has long been a partner with the Port of Vancouver USA. We’ve worked together to foster economic development in Vancouver and Clark County, bringing industry to Southwest Washington and jobs to our communities.

Chamber CEO Kelly Love gave a presentation to the port’s Board of Commissioners at its regularly scheduled meeting July 28. Love shared the chamber’s past, present and future as it celebrates its 125th year.

In the past, Love said, the chamber was thought of as mainly a networking and event group. But “things are changing rapidly in the business community,” she said. “We’ve been developing…a hard-core resource service to our businesses, because businesses have more technical needs than ever before.”

To that end, the chamber has expanded existing programs and instituted some new ones. It now offers assistance in areas such as government contracting and public relations. It also launched a new Small Business Assistance Program in February to connect small business owners, whether they are chamber members or not, to resources that can help them grow and thrive.

The chamber is also expanding its business counseling services beyond the greater Vancouver area to encompass businesses across Clark County.

“We are moving into a new realm where we must be more than just a social activity,” said Love. “We must be a service provider for our businesses.”

Congratulations to the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce on 125 years, and thank you for all of your hard work on behalf of the businesses in our community!