In tough times, businesses turn to local chambers of commerce

COURTESY PHOTO Twenty-two new members joined the Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce at its July luncheon. That's a big increase over last year. Local chambers of commerce that lost members during the recession are finally seeing a trend toward growth. A turnaround started this summer for the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce and others.

They saw membership spike as more owners who lost customers and watched advertising budgets implode during the recession aim to take advantage of networking opportunities.

"When people are flush with clients and prospects, sometimes they don't feel the need to interact with other businesses in the community," said Marietta Mudgett, executive director of the Fort Myers Chamber. "When business is a little bit slower, the effects of networking and getting to build relationships with other people comes to mind quicker. It's one of the ways people can improve on their business."

The Fort Myers Chamber gained 22 members in July, 22 percent more than last July, to make 1,140 members. The Naples Chamber welcomed 30 new members in July, the most since growth ended abruptly last year, for a total of 2,000 members.

COURTESY PHOTO July's installation luncheon at the Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. The Fort Myers Chamber had reached a peak of 1,300 members before many didn't rejoin or went out of business last year.

"Right now we're starting to see those numbers come back up," Ms. Mudgett said. "From talking to other business in the area and other chambers of commerce, I think we're on the way now. It looks like we've flatlined and we're on our way back up."

Leaders of smaller organizations like the Lehigh Acres Chamber, the Eastern Collier Chamber in Immokalee and the Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber also reported upward trends in growth that started this summer or earlier this year.

"(The Hispanic Community) is a growing market," said Veronica Culbertson, president of the Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber. "So many business people want to reach that group, capture that business. Our membership growth has been very good this year, so many people. And we've been able to capture old members we haven't seen in a while.

"Right now, people can't do as much advertising and marketing. The chamber helps them stay within their budget."

There are at least 135 chambers of commerce in Florida. Most of them are nonprofit groups. They raise awareness about laws and politics that affect the community and promote business growth in many ways, including seminars and social gatherings. Nominal membership dues are worth the price for most because of perks like advertising discounts or, for new businesses, a ribbon-cutting event pictured in chamber publications.

"Personally, I think it's all about community," said J. Mitchell Haley, owner of Haley Advertising & Marketing in Fort Myers. He's been working in advertising in the area for many years, but opened his own business six months ago. "I have to admit I actually just rejoined (the Fort Myers Chamber) after being away for several years. The friendship, camaraderie and networking were all very important."

Chambers in Fort Myers and Naples host events that suit different tastes and schedules.

"Some people can't make the breakfast, but they can make the after-5 mixer," said Don Neer, new membership director of the Naples Chamber. "Everybody comes to these things with a pocketful of business cards. That's what it's all about: everybody's exchanging ideas and cards and businesses and phone numbers."

The Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce in Lee County, which has 350 members, has seen the trend as well.

"We have seen an increase in the number of people that are looking for the opportunity to network and do things a little bit differently," said Joseph Whalen, CEO of the Lehigh Chamber. "For some time, for every member we lost we were picking one up. Now for every member that goes out of business, we're picking two or three up."

Because of the new growth, the Lehigh Chamber is moving to bigger offices in October. But Mr. Whalen attributes that to steady growth over a number of years. The Lehigh chamber gained 10 members in July.

"That was the first (month) in quite some time to hit double digits," Mr. Whalen said.

Naples Chamber

The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce had about 1,500 members when Michael Reagen became CEO seven years ago. It grew steadily to more than 2,000 members until many went out of business near the end of 2008 and the first half of this year.

"It was most disheartening," said membership director Mr. Neer. He would call to collect membership dues from businesses that hadn't paid after 60 days and "more often than not, the operator was coming on and saying 'I'm sorry, this number is no longer in service.'"

Mr. Neer said the most significant change is that many of the new members are actually old businesses, forced to look for fresh networking and advertising opportunities because of the recession.

"When their advertising budgets dwindle, they said 'we can't just die on the vine,'" Mr. Neer said. "It's so simple that a lot of people obviously didn't see the value until now."

Pat Hart, of H&R Drapery in Naples, said the chance for networking opportunities played a part in her decision this summer to join the Greater Naples Chamber. She and her husband have owned the business for eight years.

"Actually, we won a free membership," she said. "But I'd been thinking of joining. During this recessionary time it's more and more important to network. The chamber is working hand in hand with Collier economic developments, so that really broadens the spectrum of services. It's a lot bigger than I thought it was, to be honest. I was surprised at how active it is and how many members they have."

Immokalee and Hispanic Chambers

Richard Rice runs the Eastern Collier Chamber of Commerce in Immokalee with the help of two part-time workers. He has about 200 members. New ones are grateful for his help during the recession.

"When somebody comes to Immokalee, Rick (Rice) will go out of his way to help," said Edrick Paul, owner of Cebien Haitian Baker Inc. on First Street in Immokalee. "They always tried to find a place we could place our bakery. If I needed finance, they would help me with local banks."

He opened the business, two blocks from a large casino, just over a year ago with his wife, Marie Capita. Mr. Paul said his bakery is doing well. Most mornings he delivers bread to Naples, Fort Myers and Cape Coral. One of his specialties is swordfish cooked in a pastry.

"I can't complain because it's paying the bills," he said. "At this time, if you can find a business that pays the bills, that's a good business."

Mr. Rice said his Eastern Collier Chamber lost 50 members this year because of the economy. But he added, "We've seen some new members coming in. It's not a total wash. Some of it is being offset (by new membership)."

Chambers of commerce often reflect the businesses found in a town, county or region. Although Mr. Rice said the Eastern Collier Chamber is "a fairly good representation of the business in Immokalee," he added, "We probably fall a little bit short in Hispanic or Latin owned business. I think that's probably typical. It's just harder to reach them. They have a little bit harder time understanding how they can benefit."

The Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is at 395 members and growing, aims to bridge that gap.

"We're a bridge between the Hispanic and non-Hispanic community," said President Veronica Culbertson. "A lot of Hispanics may not understand what the chamber is for, or may not believe they need to be involved with a chamber. We help Hispanics integrate themselves into other communities. When other communities interact with us they also learn about Hispanic culture."

Part of the recent wave of growth is due to people looking for networking opportunities in the downturn, she said. Part of the growth has been due to a change in leadership at the chamber this year.

"Chambers of commerce are always evolving," said Ms. Mudgett, the Fort Myers Chamber director. "If they're going to survive and grow, they have to make changes based on what's happening in that community. (We) provide services and products that are going to help members through good times and not-so-good times."

chambers

Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce 2310 Edwards Dr. Fort Myers, FL 33901 332-2930 www.fortmyers.org

Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce 1159 Causeway Rd Sanibel, FL 33957-3709 472-1080 www.sanibel-captiva.org

Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 10051 McGregor Blvd. # 204 Fort Myers, FL 33919 418-1441 www.hispanicchamberflorida.org

Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce 4109 Lee Blvd. Lehigh Acres, FL 33971 369-3322 www.lehighacreschamber.org

Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce 2051 Cape Coral Parkway - East Cape Coral, FL 33904 549-6900

www.capecoralchamber.com

Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce 17200 San Carlos Blvd. Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931-5306 454-7500 www.fortmyersbeach.org

Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce 25071 Chamber of Commerce Dr. Bonita Springs, FL 34135-7828 992-2943 www.bonitaspringschamber.com

North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce 2787 N. Tamiami Trail #10 North Fort Myers, FL 33903 997-9111 www.nfmchamber.org

Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce 2390 Tamiami Trl. N # 210 Naples, FL 34103 262-6141 www.napleschamber.org

Eastern Collier Chamber of Commerce 1300 N 15th Street - Suite 2

Immokalee, FL 34142 657-3237 www.immokaleechamber.com