FROM THE CHAMBER: Reflections on 25 years with the TriCounty Area Chamber

Hard to believe that it is already a month into year 26! In March I celebrated 25 years with the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber of 1999 does not look like the 2024 TriCounty Chamber. I can faithfully state that if that were the case, the organization would not be here today.

So much changes in 25 years, right? I literally have spent half of my life with this organization (my time at the chamber goes beyond these past 25 — my first introduction and job at the chamber was as an intern in college).

Great nieces and nephews have been born and loved ones have passed. My daughter has gone from being born in my second year back at the chamber and she turns 24 this year — living on her own and studying for her doctorate degree. The staff of the chamber has changed several times over in the last 25 years — except for yours truly, obviously.

The programs and member benefits  — some have stayed but some have changed. At the heart of everything we do is our membership. This is your chamber; the team just works here, but I use “just” lightly because they don’t just work here, they bring their passion and their dedication to our members every day they walk through our office door. We also want to bring our organization to our members’ doorsteps.

With our 2023-2024 program year we changed from hosting membership orientations in our office and instead have been going out into the communities that we serve. Check our calendar to see where we are going next and come out and join us. Starting in June, we will be customizing the content of each “Coming to You” location, providing more in-depth information and instruction in the individual sessions on getting the most out of the variety of member benefits accessible to you. On April 16 join us in Sanatoga and May 7 in Boyertown!

Members first is one of our core values as a team. Relationships are at the heart of that value. Those relationships include our team’s relationships with our members. Our goal is to see all of our members succeed so we want to know you by name, we want to know what successes you have had and celebrate you and we want to know what keeps you up at night and work to have your chamber help find a solution for you. The building, strengthening, and importance of relationships between our members — compared to just networking — are the opportunities that we try to create with each program, event, roundtable luncheon and conversation we facilitate.

Relationships are the reason I am here today and how I got back to the chamber and rehired in 1999. The most incredible opportunity that I have had, and one of the most important things that I am thankful for while working in this organization are the relationships that I am fortunate to have made.

I recently read an article, “5 Key Connections Every Leader Must Have in Their Professional Network”  — The Industry Insider, The Mentor, The Innovator, The Connector, and The Challenger. It gave me time to reflect on the various connections that I have made during the 25+ years in this community and with this organization. Every person that I meet has something to offer. I consider myself fortunate to have individuals that have over the years served in these various roles for me. I know most of them may never see this article, but I need to say thank you.

Thank you — to the members, board members, community connections, Leadership TriCounty classes, and TriCounty Chamber staff team members that I have fond memories of throughout these 25 years and who still support me today in the various roles listed above. THANK YOU ALL!