A LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

2022 was an exciting year celebrating our Centennial as the trusted source for growing business, activating leaders, and building community in our region. And to top off the year, we introduced a new and modern brand identity to better position the Chamber for the future with our next generation of community leaders.

Serving business & community together: For 100 years, generations of business and community leaders have helped the Chamber build a strong reputation of being influencers for responsible growth, catalysts for positive change and conveners of the community to facilitate collaborative solutions.

How we got here: Our “Roadmap to 2022” (100th anniversary date) began in 2019 and included a comprehensive new Vision 100 Community Action Plan, a three-year Chamber Strategic Plan (2020-21-22) and a redefined Vision, Mission and set of Core Values to ensure we are relevant, necessary, and competent in this era of rapid change.

Our mission-work is making a big impact: Your investment in our mission-work impacts not only the success of your business but also the community’s quality of life. It helps sustain our momentum for the next 100 years:

• Advocacy & Government Affairs (advocating for businessdriven public policy that positively impacts businesses of all sizes).

• Community Development (activating leaders and delivering programs that build a cohesive and welcoming community).

• Destination Marketing & Management (attracting visitors and promoting our world-class destination).

• Economic Development (developing the next generation workforce pipeline and fostering sustainable growth downtown).

• Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development (curating resources and educational opportunities and opening the doors to new connections for small businesses to succeed).

The year at-a-glance: Here are some highlights and accomplishments from last year:

• In workforce development, Government Affairs and Economic Development staff toured our state and federal legislators through the Rogers Learning Center teaching them about program offerings, expansion plans, enrollment limitations, and legislative solutions for career development programs.

• Over $200 million in private capital investment (60 large-scale projects) began in Rogers last year.

• Rogers had collected $26.8 million in sales taxes at end of year, 12% above the record setting 2021.

• In Rogers-Lowell, 1,300 jobs were created in 2022 and the labor force grew by 1,150.

• The unemployment rate in Rogers at the end of the year was 2.1%, down from 2.5%.

• Downtown Rogers opened 26 new businesses last year and staff helped to attract investments such as large-scale developments in Mixed-Use and Single/Multi-Family Residential development.

• Community Development outreach by our staff yielded 43 new minority Chamber memberships; they helped 92 minority entrepreneurs with business resources, and 31 with mentorship services.

• Destination Rogers (formerly Visit Rogers) efforts helped 2022 room tax revenue surge to over $1.47 million, an increase of 80% over 2021 and higher than 2019’s all-time high of $1.4 million.

• Chamber Membership grew by 219 businesses, for a total of 1,956 member businesses in 2022.

• Launched the Chamber’s new brand identity and tagline “Serving Business & Community Together”.

Dig deeper: In this Annual Report, you’ll learn more about our 2022 accomplishments and highlights. I encourage you to review it so you can discover how you can engage with us this year as we continue working together to create a cohesive and connected community where people are excited to visit, live, invest, work, and play.

One more thing: Remember to purchase your tickets to join us as we kick off our Centennial Celebration on April 6. Stay tuned throughout the year as we continue to unveil our exciting new brand identity and other initiatives as part of Vision/NEXT, the theme of our pathway forward.

The Rogers Lowell Chamber is one out of just 132 chambers of 7,000+ nationwide accredited with Five Stars.

Vision Statement

The center of world-class business, welcoming communities, and opportunities for all.

Mission Statement

We are influencers, catalysts and conveners; the trusted source for growing business, activating leaders and building community.

The center of world-class business, welcoming communities, and opportunities for all.