About the Chamber PROMOTE. PROTECT. INFORM.

The Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce is here to Promote local businesses, to Protect the Lewis County business environment, and to Inform our members about critical issues that affect their businesses.

We encourage our members to take full advantage of all the services and resources we offer. The events we create are a gateway for our members to connect with each other and prospective customers/clients, to learn about best business practices, or to discover new tools to make their business thrive.

Visitor Center

The Chamber is also the leading Visitor Center of the region. We are open six days a week to provide the public with resources promoting the wide-range of activities, outdoor recreation, shopping, eating, overnight accommodations, and events in Centralia, Chehalis, and throughout Lewis County. The Visitor Center operates thanks to generous contributions from Lewis County and City of Chehalis Lodging Tax Advisory Committee funds (LTAC).

Benefits of Membership

Being a Chamber member shows the community that you are the gold-standard for providing the best quality of products, services, and support. According to a survey conducted by The Schapiro Group, customers are 63% more likely to use the goods of businesses that belong to a local chamber.

Being a member provides you with opportunities to network among local business owners, operators, and industry movers. The Chamber offers educational and promotional services to enhance your visibility and help your business succeed whether you are just starting out or a wellestablished operation.

Some of the benefits the Chamber offers include:

Ribbon Cuttings for new businesses or established businesses celebrating expansions, new ownership, anniversaries, or other hallmark occasions. This is a free service available to both members and non-members.

Business After Hours (BAH) offer a great promotional opportunity to showcase your location, provide tours, or introduce your staff and services to the community. Smaller businesses can join forces and work together on a BAH at a location of their choice.

Forum Membership Meetings allow members to gather monthly for networking and listening to speakers about business topics.

Legislative Updates are available via Zoom and through monthly articles written by District 20 State Representative Peter Abbarno or others.

Notary Services are available for free to members.

Micro Bytes Learning Center is a new member opportunity where members can learn specific skills in a quick one-hour session. Example topics include marketing, human resources, public relations, technology, or developing personal skills, among others.

Hiring Fairs take place twice a year (June & September) providing businesses with an opportunity to attract and meet with potential employees one-on-one. In addition, the Chamber offers job listings that members can post themselves and we maintain a webpage specifically designed to share hiring resources for both employers and job seekers.

Business Referrals is another benefit of being a Chamber member. Our office regularly refers members to potential customers and other businesses as well as provides space in our office for business cards and other promotional items.

Business Connections is our monthly publication inserted in The Chronicle the first Thursday of each month. A page is devoted to member announcements. All chamber members are invited to submit a brief promotional announcement of 200 words or less for inclusion. Business Connections also feature articles about member businesses each month along with other business-related news.

Marketing Opportunities are available through the Chamber including our outdoor Digital Billboard, advertising on our webpage, and within or weekly email updates, as well as plaques available around the outdoor Lewis County map located below the digital billboard. Ads are also available through The Silver Agency for Business Connections and our annual Directory.

Events produced by the Chamber are created to enhance the community and promote tourism to our region. The Centralia-Chehalis Chamber produces a number of special events including the Home & Garden Show, Santa Parade, Trick or Treat Transit, Midway Rest Stop for Seattle-to-Portland cycling challenge, and new this year the Cen-Che 3-on-3 Streetball Festival and a Trails to Rails 5k Fun Run.

Supporting Our Next Generation of Business Leaders and Employees

The Chamber established the Rob Fuller Scholarship Fund in 2011 and the Olivia Mitchell Scholarship in 2014. Each year through generous donations by its members, the Chamber recognizes high school graduates through an annual luncheon and by awarding up to $10,000 in scholarships. Applications for scholarships are available to any employee living in Lewis County whose business is a member of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce.

For more information about becoming a chamber member, please call 360-748-8885. We would love to share the benefits about our chamber memberships or help current members access their benefits.