We are pleased to announce there is now one chamber of commerce representing the business community of all of St. Tammany Parish. In a formal meeting of our membership, held in accordance with our articles of incorporation and bylaws, there was a vote to change the name of the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce to the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce.
For many years, much effort was put forth to reach this milestone. Discussions and votes at the board table, one on one conversations with small business owners, business and elected leaders across the parish, including mayors, CEO’s, and bankers, led to this historic day.
This announcement is the first step in a transitional process, the first of which is to build a solid foundation with future members and ensure them they are being heard and are welcome. There is strength in numbers, and a unified larger voice on issues such as transportation, transparency, collaboration, education and quality of life issues overall, will be more effectively heard.
The new single parish Chamber’s goals include becoming more closely aligned and taking action steps toward more unity in our parish. This is right for the region and right for the parish. What the new chamber will look like–our mission, goals, programs, issues to address, networking events and other business support services–will be formalized following the election of the first Board of Directors later this month, our annual membership survey, then taking this input to the first board planning retreat in January.
We look forward to building a solid foundation and continuing trusting relationships while supporting businesses across St. Tammany. To our current and long term member investors, thank you for providing the strong foundation to our standards of excellence. To our future members, we look forward to your becoming an active, engaged member of the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce. Our Chamber is no different than any not for profit business organization, the product is a result of the input of its members so we encourage your membership and your involvement as we shape what the new St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce will look like for decades to come.
Questions on membership and what this means to your business should be directed to Lacey Osborne, President and CEO at 985-273-3004 or lacey@sttammanychamber.org.
Yours truly,
G. Townsend Underhill IV
2019 Chairman of the Board