Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
Chief Staff Executive: Jeanne Englehart, President & CEO
Number of Years in the Profession: 6

Chamber Mission: Creating opportunities for West Michigan and our members to connect, grow and succeed.

Year Chamber Incorporated: 1887, as the Grand Rapids Board of Trade

Communities Served: Grand Rapids, Kent County and eastern portion of Ottawa County
Organization Awards Received: MACP Outstanding Chamber (Large Chamber Category) 2009; MACP Outstanding Chamber (Large Chamber Category) 2007; ACCE Top 10 in New Member Growth 2008; United Way Project Blueprint Award 2005

Number of Members: 2,758
Total Chamber Budget: $2.7 million

Staff Names and Titles:
Jeanne Englehart, President & CEO
Laurie Forte, Chief Operations Officer
Carol White, Chief Financial Officer
Jared Rodriguez, Senior VP, Government Affairs
Kevin Stotts, VP, Community Programs
Sonya Hughes, VP, Diversity Initiatives & Programs
Janet Wyllie, VP, Membership Programs and Events
Linda Zizos, VP, Membership Development

Ashley Abbott, Event Coordinator
Sarah Abel, Marketing Coordinator, Center for Community Leadership
Mark Allen, Membership Development Coordinator
Janet Behrens, Senior Staff Accountant
Angie Brown, Communications & PR Specialist
Christine Cameron, Director, Silent Observer
Terry Davidson, IT Systems Administrator
Lea DeMaagd, Executive Assistant to the President
Leslee Fritz, Marketing Opportunities Accounts Manager
Chris Glass, Public Policy Coordinator
Emily Jipping, Program Assistant, Center for Community Leadership
Joni Johnson, Database Coordinator & Accounting Assistant
Andy Johnston, Legislative Affairs Director
Justin Knepper, Membership Development Representative
Pegg Meulendyk, Membership Development Representative
Bridget Meyers, Event Coordinator
Kathy Nelson, Office Manager
Latricia Trice, Marketing Director
Danielle VanderLugt, Program Coordinator, Center for Community Leadership

Chamber Signature Events: Annual Meeting (held Jan. 19), Taste of the Chamber (October 2010), The EPIC Awards (New for 2010! – May 19), ATHENA Award Celebration (Sept. 30), West Michigan Policy Forum (Sept. 16-17)
Foundation: Yes
Ambassador Committee: Yes
Economic Development: as it relates to developing existing businesses
Political Action Committee: Yes

What are the top three organizational priorities for your chamber this year?
Our organizational priorities for 2010 include:
- Our second West Michigan Policy Forum, which will be held Sept. 16-17
- Serving our members through providing the resources and programs that help them reach their desired levels of success (whether that’s cost-saving opportunities, networking, or professional development)
- Being a strong community partner through collaborative programming, partnering on regional initiatives and supporting enterprises like 2010 ArtPrize, an event which brought about 3,000 people through our doors in 2009.

What is your biggest obstacle to membership development and retention?
Like many other Chambers, economic pressures are the biggest obstacle to membership development and retention at this time. We continue to have steady new member sales, but with many businesses and non-profits still struggling due to the recession, retention has become more difficult. We have really renewed our focus on educating people about Chamber benefits and exactly how each member can customize their membership and use it to weather the economic storm.

What do you see as the most pressing challenge for businesses in your community?
Three factors make for pressing challenges. First – the economy. Although there are glimmers of light on the horizon, many businesses are still finding it to be a challenging environment out there.

Second - getting the good news out. The Grand Rapids area has a growing health care industry, is a hotbed of entrepreneurialism for small and family-owned firms, is a national leader in the sustainability movement, and construction cranes construction cranes continue to dot our skyline. We are challenged, but not devastated by the downturn. Unfortunately, most of the state, and the country, think Michigan is an economic wasteland…which is certainly not the case.

Third – the general lack of leadership in Lansing to make policy decisions that will help Michigan become a state in which it is easier to do business. Whether it’s the annual state budget process or the MBT, the fact that our elected leaders can’t work together and come up with good, sustainable solutions is paralyzing this state. The business community, as well as our community at large, needs these elected officials to do what they were sent to Lansing to do…lead.

What has been your biggest success over the last 12 months?
We are particularly proud of the fact that we have not had to reduce headcount. Our staff and Board did some aggressive planning at the end of the 2008 that served us well throughout 2009. In a year in which we initially thought we would have to tap into reserve funds, we actually saw a small surplus. And having the year capped off with being named the MACP large size Outstanding Chamber was, of course, very humbling and exciting.

As far as working with our members is concerned, we are proud to have done the work to launch two major new initiatives in January – The Partnership for a Sustainable Community and Quaeris, a regional talent attraction and retention initiative of our Center for Community Leadership. Both these programs are very community and employer driven, and we are proud to be leading and implementing these projects.

How do you see the future of chambers and the chamber profession evolving over the next 3-5 years?
I think Chambers are going to continue along the path of not just serving their members, but their entire communities. We have long been resources for business people and visitors, but we are seeing a movement toward service to the community at large versus our traditional constituencies.

Also, I think Chambers will have to adapt and work to remain relevant in the face of all the changes social media brings. Everything is moving faster than it ever has before, and any person or organization can position themselves as an “expert.” We have to be just as agile as our members to harness that quick movement and share our expertise in ways or places we may not have thought of even a few years ago.