g a l l a t in c h a m b e r t u r n s 100

GALLATIN CHAMBER t u r n s

1921- 2021 100

A century ago, the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce was a start-up. Today, this influential organization continues to provide vital support to the community.

W H A T IS A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E ?

For Kim Baker, CEO of the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce, a Chamber of Commerce is always more than meets the eye. “A Chamber is a network of businesses who are interested in working together for a common goal,” explained Kim, who has been heading the Chamber since 2015. “Ultimately, we’re a liaison between our business members and the community. We connect the two in a way that brings mutual success for everyone.”

Businesses gathering for mutual support is nothing new. Bands f tra ers ha e e iste f r i ennia t rst these r u s sought common protection against enemies. Later, they worked t ern the c n uct f tra e an in uence e is ati e atters These an s f tra ers e entua c a esce int the rst ha ers f erce Ki e aine n fact the rst known use of the term ‘Chamber of Commerce’ was in 1599 in Marseilles, France.”

In the United States, adversity was often the impetus for the formation of a Chamber. For instance, the establishment of the New York State Chamber, was a result of the Stamp Tax Act passed by Parliament in 1765. Forced to organize in self efense t ht the ct e r tra es en uic ercei e the advantages of such an association.

100 year timeline

Women gained the right to vote Mount Rushmore is dedicated

Pluto is discovered President Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award World War II ends The first Peanuts comic strip is published

1920

1975 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950

Population: 2,757

Gallatin Chamber Opens

Gallatin Chamber is successful in getting L&N Railway to continue passenger service Population: 3,050

RC Owen Tobacco Company moves manufacturing plant from Hartsville to Gallatin Gallatin Chamber promotes Federal Housing Administration loans for residential improvements Population: 4,929

New courthouse on Public Square is dedicated

Randy Wood (Randy's Record Shop) plans to sell world-wide by mail order Population: 5,107

Cumberland River bridge contract is awarded

Vietnam War ends

New Gallatin city hall and fire hall dedicated Post-It Notes go on sale

Sumner County Museum announces plans to build on Smith Street Wreck of the RMS Titanic Located

National Register of Historic Places designates the Public Square area as a historic district The Hubble telescope is launched into space

State begins construction on first leg of S.R. 109 bypass OJ Simpson is found not guilty

GAP announces plans to locate Southeastern US distribution facility to Gallatin

Divers discover the ancient port of Alexandria, the home of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony

Hurricane Katrina strikes the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coastal area

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Population: 17,191 Population: 18,794 Population: 23,230

Plans for a new high school on Station Camp Creek are revealed

The Club at Fairvue opens in The Last Planation development (now known as Tennessee Grasslands/Fairvue)

Early Chambers organized markets, made and enforced rules of trade, protected goods in transit, and even operated their n tra in rs The e er ence f the ha er as a community organization came much later as business leaders began to realize that their own prosperity depended upon the development of prosperous, healthy, and happy communities. From the late 1800s on, the growth of the Chamber movement in the United States was rapid. As a result of a suggestion by President William Howard Taft that some system of national cooperation between business and government be established, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States was created on April 22, 1912. It was a bold new step in the organization of commercial enterprise. In the following decades, Chambers of Commerce sprung up in thousands of communities across the nation, including Gallatin. “When you look at what was going on in Gallatin in 1921, things weren’t so different from today,” Kim noted. “World War I was ending. A pandemic was winding down. New communication technologies like the radio were disrupting the status quo. Racial tensions were high. The headlines then were basically the same as they are now.”

The business environment of the early 1920s was no less dynamic than it is today. “Many companies that are now household names were start-ups between 1918 and 1922,” Kim added, citing Zenith, RCA, Eddie Bauer, Perdue Farms, Rubbermaid, and Lowe’s as examples. “Adversity spurred the launch of many companies during those years and Chambers of Commerce provided support as they grew.” A hundred years after its launch, the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce continues to be an engine for business development, especially in the wake of COVID-19. “One of our goals is to support people as they launch businesses they dreamed up during the quarantine, reinvent businesses that were negatively impacted during the pandemic, and help people who were laid off to pivot their careers,” Kim said. “When the Gallatin

Chamber is celebrating its 200th anniversary, we want to be celebrating the businesses that had their beginnings in 2021.”

The past 100 years have been a time of constant invention and reinvention for the

Gallatin Chamber. Many of the programs launched by the Gallatin Chamber in the past, such as the Main Street

Festival, the city’s image campaign, and public WIFI on the square, continue to bear fruit today.

W h a t ’s a h e a d f o r t h e G a l l a t in C h a m b e r ?

In addition to continuing serving as a catalyst for community development, a support system for existing businesses, and an information hub for visitors, Kim sees the Chamber doing even more to incubate new businesses. “With programs like StartUp Gallatin, we’re creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem that stacks the deck for new business success,” Kim said. “I think that Gallatin will be even more of a hub for entrepreneurs in the future, especially in the tech space. The Facebook data center will be a magnet for creatives of all kinds, and I see the Chamber’s services evolving to support their success. We’ve reinvented ourselves before—and we’ll do it again.” §

The first McDonald’s opens

1955 1960 1965 1970

Cumberland Electric dedicated new HQ on Blythe/S.R. 109 John F. Kennedy wins presidential election

Sumner County Memorial Hospital (now Sumner Regional Medical Center) celebrates its first anniversary The mini-skirt makes its debut in London

State extends S.R. 109 southward from US 70 to I-40 The Concorde makes its first supersonic flight

Construction of Volunteer State Community College begins

Population: 7,901 Population: 13,093

A 1,000-year flood hits Middle Tennessee

Millennials surpass boomers as the biggest U.S. generation COVID-19 pandemic sends the world's economy into tailspin

2010

Population: 30,278

Chamber offers WiFi connectivity in Downtown Gallatin and the Civic Center

2015

Kim Myers (Baker) tapped to lead the Gallatin Area Chamber, making her the youngest Chamber director in state

2020

Population: 47,534

Facebook breaks ground for a $800 million data center Community leaders gather in 1988 to break ground for the current home of the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce. From left to right: Jeannie Gregory, Allen Parks, Roger Matchett, architect Dave Schreiner, Mayor David Thompson, Speedy Thompson (Thompson Construction), and Chamber President Jim Decker.

2019 Estimate..............................................................42,918 2018 Estimate..............................................................40,457 2017 Estimate..............................................................37,351 2016 Estimate..............................................................35,734 2015 Actual (Gallatin Census).......................................34,487 2011 Estimate...............................................................30,838 2010 Actual (U.S. Census)............................................30,278

Under 5 years of age, 2019..............................................6.5% Under 18 years of age, 2019..........................................23.8% Age 65 years and over, 2019..........................................15.6% Female, 2019.................................................................50.9% White, 2019..................................................................77.8% Black, 2019...................................................................13.6% American Indian & Alaska Native, 2019...........................0.3% Asian, 2019.....................................................................2.5% ati e Ha aiian ther aci c s an Persons reporting two or more races, 2019.......................3.5% Persons of Hispanic or Latinx origin, 2019.......................8.3% White alone, not Hispanic or Latinx, 2019.....................72.4%

Source: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/gallatincitytennessee,TN/POP815217

Unknown thespians perform an unknown play in an unknown place in Gallatin, circa 1920.