Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce Marks Membership Milestone

July 31, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce Marks Membership Milestone
Chamber Leadership Commits to Strengthening Regional Collaboration and Delivering Real-World Value to the Local Business Community

The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce just onboarded its 150th new member in 2024. For context, that’s the same number of members to join in the preceding 10 years combined.

It’s an important milestone for a couple of reasons. First, it illustrates a renewed recognition from business owners of the importance of a strong network in achieving business growth. Second, it signals the interest of businesses in the Region to join together in helping realize our collective growth.

“Regardless of the advances and advantages technology provides to improve operations and realize efficiencies, there is still no replacement for the value of human-to-human connection in business,” said Tracy Bell, CEO of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce.

“Entrepreneurship is hard to begin with and operating a small business can be a lonely and isolating journey. The ability to connect with a community of like-minded individuals to solve problems, find local suppliers, build trust with customers, or develop new markets is easier when you’re part of a membership-based organization working toward a common objective of growth.”

Some interesting statistics about the Chamber’s 150 newest members:

– 76% are solopreneurs or owner-operators with fewer than five employees (and many are work-from-home service operators)
– 25% have moved to the Saint John Region from outside Atlantic Canada in recent years (and 10% of the total new members have newcomers as their target customer).
– 48% are women-owned or women-led businesses

Remote businesses. First-time founders. Side hustlers. And specialists in their specific area of expertise, figuring out how to build a profitable enterprise around their value prop with no formal business training. A group that has an overwhelming amount of information available at their fingertips but lacks the human-to-human connection that is still foundational to sustainable growth. That’s an emerging demographic in the Chamber’s membership base.

With this information in hand, the Saint John Region Chamber is undergoing a strategic planning project focused on identifying its priority work for the next three years, as well as the milestones and accountability metrics that will demonstrate progress and success in realizing those aims.

“In my first 100 days on the job, I’ve met with more than 60 Chamber members, or approximately 10 per cent of our membership, and our leadership is meeting now with groups of business owners and stakeholder agencies in the Region. We’re hearing lots about the individual and common challenges businesses are facing. There’s a lingering feeling of uncertainty with the economy and unease with investing in workforce development or business growth as a result. Even so, almost every operator or business leader we meet with believes we are stronger together – that we can better influence policy decisions, expand our business opportunities, attract top-notch talent and create thriving communities when we have a common goal of growth and a collective of committed businesses willing to do the work,” said Bell.

Board Chair Fraser Wells adds, “As we head into a provincial election, our ability to come together in the Region behind a common vision with a clear focus will help shape our economic future. We at the Chamber are eager to get to work – to bring the voice of the business community to discussions around designing that prosperous future, as well to fulfilling our mandate of helping businesses make money, save money, and reduce risk.”

The Chamber will complete its new strategic plan by October in support of its long-term mission to make the Saint John Region the best place to start and grow a business in Canada.

The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce is a nationally accredited business organization dedicated to fostering an economic climate that enhances growth, prosperity, and an improved quality of life in the community. With over 600 member businesses, representing the interests of 37,000 people, The Chamber is a dynamic advocate and the principal voice for the business community of Greater Saint John. It offers a variety of programs, activities, services, and networking opportunities designed to enhance the business prospects of members and the overall business climate of the area.

For more information, connect with the Chamber office at 506-634-8111.