The Kearsarge Area Chamber of Commerce (KACC) has nearly tripled its membership in one year. In September of 2014, the chamber was on the verge of dissolving. Four presidents sat on the board during that year, most board members had resigned, and membership had dwindled. Without a quorum, the remaining two board members could not vote on matters, and the future of the chamber looked bleak.
A meeting of the membership was held to discuss the situation. For the chamber to continue, additional board members were needed. Twelve people attended the meeting, and four brave souls stepped forward to fill the open positions until the annual meeting in January. The future of the chamber appeared a little brighter, and restructuring began to take place.
Originally formed as the Warner Business Association, the organization became the Kearsarge Area Chamber of Commerce in 2009, expanding its outreach. During 2015, an enthusiastic board of directors, led by President Patrick Miller of Contoocook, representing Eastern Propane, worked hard to turn this organization around.
“The chamber membership had dropped from a high of 99 a few years ago to just 39 by January of this year. The perception was that the KACC was just a Warner chamber, when in reality we cover 14 towns around Mount Kearsarge, bridging the gap between New London and Concord,” said President Miller.
“We wanted to show our members they were receiving value for their investment, so we revamped our Web site and are now getting over 1,100 hits each month. We scheduled a monthly Business After Hours networking social, beginning in February, and we regularly have over 25 attending. A Facebook page was created where members can re-post to multiply their advertising messages, and we created a Constant Contact secure database that now has over 300 businesses and artisans receiving e-mails and newsletters on a regular basis,” Miller said.
The board’s months-long membership drive brought membership to over 100 and culminated in the publishing of a new membership directory. Miller says one key to the organization’s growth is its dues structure, which is the lowest in the area, attracting artisans, non-profits, and small businesses.
“Our mission for 2016 is retention and growth,” Miller said. “We don’t have a paid executive officer, so what we accomplish is from the efforts of our members and the board. Fortunately, having a computer whiz, a publicist, and a marketing person on the board this past year has enabled the chamber to grow at a rapid pace.” For 2016, Miller would like a few more board members representing several different types of businesses.
The chamber will be holding its annual meeting on Thursday, January 21, at the Hopkinton Library, where the installation of board members will take place. All business professionals in the area are welcome to attend and network with others. Anyone interested in learning more about the Kearsarge Area Chamber of Commerce should visit KearsargeChamber.org or contact Patrick Miller at PMiller@nullEastern.com.