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When you joined your Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, it was likely for a reason. Whether you were looking to make new connections in the local business sector, access knowledge and resources to take your business to the next level, or take part in a greater cause in your community, there was something at the Chamber that you couldn't find anywhere else. Our Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber strives to remain relevant, engaging, and unique for our community of over 1,400 businesses and organizations. We recognize that no two businesses are exactly alike, and each has its own specific challenges, needs, and pathways to success. We hope that every business can find something to value in our Chamber's host of offerings centered on advocacy, leadership, and relationships. We recently surveyed a sample of representatives in our Chamber community to hear from you, our members, about how the Chamber matters to your business. We believe the results capture an accurate snapshot of our membership's current views and values.  Our members want to connect Connecting with the business community was the number one reason survey respondents said they belong to the Chamber. We're not surprised by this! Following years of working from home and virtual events, the Tacoma-Pierce County business community has shown an impressive eagerness to get back to in-person networking. Because of this, we are focused on making our networking events the biggest and best they've ever been. Since our monthly Chamber After Hours returned in April 2022, we have seen an attendance of 100 or more members of our business community at every event. This month, Happy Hour Business Expo— our biggest annual networking event— broke attendance records with over 470 guests and more member businesses on display than ever before. South Sound Business Round Table, a bi-monthly networking and problem-solving session open to all members, is also seeing some of its highest attendance yet with new faces joining every week. Our quarterly Military Affairs Forum remains a popular way for businesses and organizations to connect to the largest employer in Pierce County: JointBase Lewis-McChord. Additionally, signature events throughout the year like Public Officials Holiday Reception and Horizons Economic Forecast convene business leaders across the South Sound.  Our members want to stand out The second most popular reason people join our Chamber is to gain exposure and leads for their businesses. There are thousands of businesses in Pierce County, and making yours stand out among the rest can be a daunting challenge. Luckily, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber has numerous ways to put your business front and center for your customers. In 2022, we launched two new programs focused on highlighting and celebrating our member businesses. Our Chamber podcast, Making It in the South Sound, gives businesses the opportunity to share their experiences, expertise, and business journeys in their own voice. Additionally, our Member Stories series on our Chamber blog puts the spotlight on an amazing member business in every new post. We are always happy to celebrate a business milestone with you by hosting a ribbon-cutting event, which comes with both in-person and digital exposure! We also recently re-imagined our paid advertising opportunities with the Chamber with a whole new media kit that members can use to market directly to other businesses in our Chamber community.  Our members want to make a difference
At the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, we don't just want to see your business succeed— we want to see all of Pierce County succeed. Our vision is to make Pierce County the most equitable, inclusive, and thriving place to do business in Washington State. It appears that our members feel the same way, as wanting to make a difference was the third main reason surveyed members said they joined our Chamber. There is no shortage of ways to engage in advocacy with our Chamber. Members have the opportunity every year to get involved in person through our Legislative Advocacy Day at the Washington State Capitol. For even more of an adventure, members can join us on our annual Washington-to-Washington, D.C. Conference to meet with federal legislators and policy-makers. Members comprise our Government Affairs Committee which meets on a regular basis to discuss the Chamber's legislative agenda and guide our actions in supporting business-friendly policies for the South Sound. Our Chamber also leads the Regional Access Mobility Partnership (RAMP), which prioritizes an effective, efficient transportation system to sustain our economy, and the Manufacturing Industrial Council for the South Sound (MIC), which works to promote and enhance a positive business climate for manufacturing and related industries. Whatever matters most to your business, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber is here to help. Thank you for your continuous engagement, feedback, and support. We look forward to continuing to improve our programs and develop new ideas to best support the needs of the South Sound business community. Last Wednesday, June 14th, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber hosted a town hall event in partnership with the Association of Washington Business and Washington Roundtable. This town hall was part of Washington In the Making 2040, an initiative to create a compelling vision for the future of our state’s economy. Around 50 participants from various sectors of our Pierce County economy attended this interactive conversation, including small businesses, large businesses, elected officials, employers, and employees. Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber CEO/President Andrea Reay kicked off the event. Attendees participated in discussions centered on views of the economy, organizational and community needs, current and future trends, and critical issues at play. The goal of these conversations was to engage businesses and residents from the South Sound in the development of a shared vision of what the future of Washington's economy should look like. If you would like to help shape the future of our State's economy and be part of this initiative, you can take the Washington in the Making 2040 survey here. Whether you missed the event or simply have more you would like to share, make your voice heard! Last Thursday, June 15th, we hosted our annual Happy Hour Business Expo! It was an amazing evening! This year's expo had many new exciting features in store for guests including a Professional Prep Zone featuring services to get you business-ready, more exhibitors than ever, and an extra hour of time to enjoy the event! This was our highest-attended Happy Hour Business Expo ever, with over 500 guests in attendance! Thank you to all the exhibitors, sponsors, caterers, and guests who made this unforgettable event happen! View photos from the Expo below. The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber and Pierce County Economic Development recently celebrated the graduation of Cohorts 10 and 11 of the Pierce County Business Accelerator! Over the past 6 weeks, these cohorts of local entrepreneurs and business owners have been hard at work engaging in trainings, coaching, technical support, and networking to accelerate their businesses. Our Chamber is honored to have played a role in the Pierce County Business Accelerator from the beginning as the program administrator, in partnership with Pierce County. The Pierce County Business Accelerator serves entrepreneurs and business owners throughout Pierce County with a focus on BIPOC, veteran, and women-owned businesses to help foster innovation and create wealth-building opportunities. Congratulations to these amazing groups of graduates! View photos from the Cohort 10 & 11 graduations below, and learn more about the Pierce County Business Accelerator at www.pcba.biz! Cohort 10 Cohort 11 Last Thursday, June 1st, we joined Go Philly Cheesesteaks & Wings to celebrate their grand opening with a ribbon-cutting. This business, which previously had a Tacoma location, is excited for its return to the City of Destiny — as are its many fans. Learn more in this article from the Tacoma News Tribune and view photos below! |
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