CARBONDALE: A PLACE TO DO BUSINESS
CARBONDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE—
LOTS TO OFFER/LOTS TO DO
T
he Carbondale Chamber of Commerce proudly serves over 425 members from Carbondale and the surrounding communities. The Chamber offers a wide array of opportunities to our members. Each month there is usually at least three opportunities to meet potential clients, interact with other chamber members, and a chance to grow professionally. The Chamber of Commerce provides monthly membership meetings which are open to each of the over 1,000 contacts that represent our 425 members. These monthly luncheons provide opportunities to meet elected officials, learn about new initiatives at Southern Illinois University and within the City of Carbondale, professional speakers from subject matter experts, and much more. There are opportunities to be a luncheon sponsor at these monthly membership luncheons. As the sponsor you will have ten minutes to provide an overview of your business, introduce new products/services, and/or provide a general overview of your business/organization’s core business. Each month the Chamber offers Networking at Noon opportunities, typically held at a chamber member restaurant, where each person in attendance can provide a short presentation about their business, discuss common concerns among the group regarding a myriad of topics, and socialize and learn more about other members of the Chamber of Commerce. Quarterly, or more often, the chamber will host a Business After Hours event at a member’s location which provides an opportunity to interact with members from many different industries such as banking, restaurants, government, industry, real estate, automotive, education, nonprofits, and many more. These events are less formal and provide an open forum to interact over beverages and food to better get to know the other Chamber members and how they may be able to assist you in your business/ organization. The Annual Dinner and Awards Program, held in February, recognizes and honors businesses, organizations, and/or individuals in various categories. These include: Chamber Service Award—selected by the Chamber’s five most recent board chairs. This honor is given to a Chamber member who tirelessly serves, often without formal recognition. Keeping Arts in Business—Carbondale Community Arts recognizes an area business
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carbondalechamber.com
for its promotion of arts both in the workplace and in the community in general. Regional Business of the Year—The Chamber recognizes a business which may or may not be located in Carbondale, but whose impact is felt all across southern Illinois in terms of economic development, charitable support, and/or promotion of the region. Young Professional of the Year—This award recognizes a leader under the age of 40 who is already making a difference for his or her business and within our community. Business Leader of the Year—This award recognizes a person who cares not only for their own business, but also for the growth and success of others. Citizen of the Year—This award, which has been presented since 1961, is given to an individual who has dedicated his or her life to make Carbondale a better place to live and work. Business of the Year—This award recognizes one local establishment as business of the year. The Annual Dinner and Awards Program is supported by local organizations through contributions. These sponsorships may include Social Hour, Entertainment, Platinum, Trip Sponsor, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. A great advantage of being a member of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce is
knowledge and information. The Chamber meets monthly with Southern Illinois University and the City of Carbondale to share information among the three entities, disseminate information to our constituencies, and provide a forum to discuss common issues, concerns, and upcoming events. Advocacy is one of the goals of the Carbondale Chamber as we want to represent our members’ views when appropriate. The Chamber does regular Email Blast updates to our members. These promote events, announce alerts from the health department and other agencies, and keeps members information on a variety of topics. These Email Blasts go to each contact on file from each chamber business/organization. Members may also request their own Email Blast, for a nominal fee, to promote an upcoming event, sale, or new products/ services. Volunteers are the lifeline of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce. They provide their expertise, time, and energy to support the Chamber. They are involved in committees and a host of other initiatives. By being a volunteer members receive a WIN/WIN from their interaction with other volunteers and involvement in unique and
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