Instant Recognition & Visibility for Your Business
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To chat with our Sales & Retention Manager, Vic Cirilli, call 251-943-1064 or email him at vic@southbaldwinchamber.com
Darlene Staimpel with Fortis College
Sue Alford with Homecare Companions
Kathleen Baskin with Katy's Catering
Joining and being active in the South Baldwin Chamber has been one of the smartest moves that we could have made for our business. Being a member gives you inexpensive ways to advertise your business. One of my favorite is the monthly Chamber Newsletter where we advertise periodically. One occasion that I recall we bought an ad on the front page for $450 and we sold 2 Pheasant hunts. That one ad produced $10,000 of income. You never know who’s looking at these ads. We also like to go to Business After Hours to meet and introduce ourselves to other possible business customers. We are fortunate to have one of the best STAFF’s in the country. They are always friendly, courteous and help us promote our business, always thinking outside the box and using cutting edge technology. South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce ROCKS and we are proud to be part of it.
Boyd Little, Oak Hollow Farm – South Baldwin Chamber Member, over 10 years
I LOVE working with you guys at the Chamber! Everyone is always friendly and giving Harry and David opportunities to work with you in the community. We have definitely gained some new customers because of being involved in the Chamber. We love the networking, but we love that we've made great friends (and some new customers!) with you, too! Thanks for all that you do and for thinking of us!
Heather McClantoc, Harry and David – South Baldwin Chamber Member, over 8 years
While many activities have helped me, High Speed Networking and the annual Small Business Expo have been very helpful. High Speed Networking allows me to meet and talk with many of the "new" businesses who have joined the Chamber. The Small Business Expo allows me to demonstrate my products to all the membership plus I am allowed to sell my wonderful Mary Kay products that evening.
Phyllis Musolf, Mary Kay Cosmetics – South Baldwin Chamber Member, over 18 years
The Gulf Coast Balloon Festival is such an incredible community event and we at Frances Holk-Jones State Farm are honored to be a part of it each year. The festival is a wonderful opportunity to not only network with our current clients but also meet new prospective customers. In fact, this year the number of people interested in learning more about our services doubled. Thank you, South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, for all of your hard work and dedication in making this such a great event for our community!
Lindsay Schumacher, State Farm Frances Holk-Jones Insurance – South Baldwin Chamber Member, over 59 years
“As a new business in Foley, 4 years ago, I found membership in the SBCC a critical factor in my quick success. I greatly value my membership and budget for it happily every year.”
Dr. Samantha Graber, Align Chiropractic
Being a Realtor in Foley for the past 16 years the South Baldwin Chamber has been an invaluable resource to me and my Clients. Providing Community information, demographics as well as personally addressing any particular questions of interest ensures my Clients they have made the right decision in calling Foley “HOME”.
Linda Brokaw, ERA Class.com – South Baldwin Chamber Member, over 11 years
Thank you for the Leadership Luncheon. The information Herb Malone and Bob Higgins shared were absolutely indispensible for anyone in business or wanting to start a business. The easy to understand demographics were broken down for specific business sectors to show us how we can take the guess work out of running a company. Simply put, if you are not plugged into the local Chamber and not participating, you are actually leaving money on the table.
Jim Griffiths, LegalShield – South Baldwin Chamber Member, almost 1 year
We opened our business in 2009 and joined South Baldwin COC right away. All of their functions are business focused: networking, meeting leaders in our communities and staying on top of current trends. We have attended many functions ranging from Business After Hours to High Speed Networking to Leadership Luncheons. One particular luncheon we attended addressed Alabama's new immigration laws; the Chamber offered an outstanding guest panel for the attendees to address questions. It was very enlightening and immensely informative. All of the Chamber functions are professionally planned, organized and "fun". I highly recommend this particular Chamber!
Sue Alford, CEO Homecare Companions South Baldwin Chamber Member, almost 2 years
I know I can always count on them to help me with any problems I have in business. I plan to get more involved with the Chamber myself as it is a great way to promote my engraving, trophy and awards business. Thank you.
Tamara Rose, Baldwin Trophies, South Baldwin Chamber Member since 1998
Good Morning Mattress Center is enjoying a great experience working with South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber provides excellent service guiding us to not only build a better community, but promoting our business as well. Its fun meeting all the members & knowing we all have a common goal to "Succeed".
Mike Mehaffey, Good Morning Mattress Center – South Baldwin Chamber Member, over 4 years
A chamber of commerce is an organization of businesses seeking to further their collective interests, while advancing their community, region, state or nation. Business owners in towns, cities and other territories voluntarily form these local societies/networks to advocate on behalf of the community at large, economic prosperity and business interests.
Chamber missions vary, but they all tend to focus to some degree on five primary goals: Building communities to which residents, visitors and investors are attracted; Promoting those communities; Striving to ensure future prosperity via a pro-business climate; Representing the unified voice of the employer community; and Reducing transactional friction through well-functioning networks. Chambers have other features in common. Most are led by private-sector employers, self-funded, organized around boards and committees of volunteers and they are independent. They share a common ambition for sustained prosperity of their community/region, built on thriving employers. Most are ardent proponents of the free market system, resisting attempts to overly burden private sector enterprise and investment.
Local businesses are voluntary paying members of a chamber. The membership, acting collectively, elects a board of directors to set policy for and guide the workings of the chamber.
Chambers do not operate in the same manner as a Better Business Bureau or trade association, which can bind its members under a formal operations doctrine. Businesses and other employers pay dues to belong and expect to receive the benefits of membership as long as they continue to invest in the organization.
While many organizations have “contracts for services” or “performance contracts” with municipalities or government agencies, chambers are not run, managed or controlled by any City, County or State Government.
Probably one of the most ill-conceived misconceptions of chamber membership is that the act of joining in itself will create increased business. The Chamber provides opportunities for businesses to grow and enhance their visibility.
A study has shown that consumers are 80% more likely to purchase goods/services from businesses that belong to a Chamber. And, when a company is involved in a Chamber, it infers you are trustworthy and interested in the community. In addition, the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce has been serving business for 68 years with a consistent Chamber staff with 64 years of combined experience. When you cannot represent your business, we are advocating on your behalf.
Membership investment is based on the number of full time equivalent employees within your company. There are different investment categories for various industries. Call or email the Chamber’s membership department 251-943-1064 vic at southbaldwinchamber.com to find out more.
Many events are open to the public, including the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival, Magnolia Run and the South Baldwin Small Business Expo. Others like Business After Hours, Leadership Luncheons and High Speed Networking are benefits of membership. Please contact our membership department if you would like to attend one of these events as our guest to get a feel for our organization.
Yes, there are numerous businesses that are not based in South Baldwin County, but choose to support the community in which they do business.
