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She has gone from member to committee member to board member to executive committee member to being elected two years ago as chairwoman of the board. The connections she has made during the three decades have made a huge impact on her business and her personal life.

“My first question any time I need something as business cards to a new $3,000 sign out front of Island House is, ‘who in the chamber does this?’ I always try to use a chamber person first. I really do.”

At her wedding, Kohler estimated that one third of her guests were fellow chamber members who are now friends. At an After Business Ours social gathering five years ago, she looked around and saw that she had connected and worked with every business that was represented at the location.

“At every single table there was someone I personally did business with,” she said. “They used my business or referred me to somebody that I ended up doing business with.”

Chamber membership and social events, she said, have paid off.

Dennis Morier is coowner of Floral Designs in Southgate, a local flower shop that provides everything from sympathy arrangements to wedding flowers. Son Jedidia Daddow is the head designer whose work was recently featured on the cover of Florist Magazine. Proud father Morier had the magazine on display for all to see at his booth at the chamber business gala.

“The chamber does more for me than I’ve ever done for the chamber,” said Morier, who is a chamber board member. “I have an opportunity to meet with a lot of business owners from all over Downriver.

There’s a lot of synergy to this. You find out what people are doing and where their interests lie. You learn there are things that your business can provide to them and things you can use from their business. This event magnifies it. Being in the chamber is an opportunity to source things locally and meet local businesses. It does make a difference… “People say here’s a problem, how can we solve it? This is not only fun but a way to get together with local business owners in our own area. It’s a way to keep up with the community.” com, in 2012. Since then, she said, “we have grown to be Downriver’s main source of event information and local promotion for businesses. Our annual website visitors are over 350,000 and growing and we have nearly a million annual page views on our 800-plus page website. We are number one or on Page 1 in Google searches for nearly any event or happening Downriver, from festivals to kayak launches to individual Downriver cities.”

Linda Francetich of Grosse Ile founded her Trenton-based business, DiscoverDownriver.

Membership in the chamber of commerce and participation in the agency’s events have had a positive impact on her business, Francetich said.

“Building a professional support system is a beautiful thing,” she said. “When you connect with your community peers, clients and local leaders, that engagement has the potential to lead to sales, friendships, collaborations and much more. The Downriver community is quite connected and networking events such as the SWCRC black tie event reinforces those relationships and friendships.” Adding to the fun connectivity at the chamber gala, participants get to vote for best in several categories among the vendors on hand. This year’s winners were Rev’d Up Fun, best booth;

First Merchants Bank, best double booth; The Information Center, which won the Al Bates Interactive Booth Award; Prestige Banquet Hall, best entrée; A Serendipity Cakery, best dessert; and Services to Enhance Potential (STEP), best appetizer and the people’s choice award.

Jeffrey Chicoine, the current chairman of the chamber, is regional government relations manager at Corewell Health whose office is in Corewell’s hospital in Trenton.

While Corewell is anything but small, chamber membership and special events give Chicoine opportunities to position the health organization “as an effective and reliable community partner” and to “promote health and wellness of the community.”

He also serves on the board of the nonprofit Information Center, which is also a member of the chamber.

Another attendee at the chamber gala was Jim Perry, executive director of the Southgate-based Downriver Community Conference and the namesake of the James S. Perry Community Leadership Award that recognized outstanding community leaders who demonstrate and inspire others to always put service above self.

The DCC’s goals include enhancing the quality of life for area residents, workers and businesses; shaping public policy at the federal, state, regional, county and local levels; and identifying, obtaining and responsibly managing the necessary financial resources to successfully implement the vision.

“The DCC and the chamber have always enjoyed a great partnership,” Perry said. “We work hand in hand. When business works, people work… Things are happening Downriver. I always tell people it’s the place to be.”