IMPORTANT GREENVILLE CHAMBER ANNOUNCEMENT

On February 10, the Greenville Chamber released the following statement...

The Greenville Chamber today announced a plan to progressively create revenue for the Chamber in the tight economy while focusing on its core services to its membership and the broader community.

“The Chamber announced changes to its organization in an effort to be proactive and economically responsible in light of the current recession,” said Chamber President and CEO Ben Haskew. “This is a model used successfully by other chambers nationally in developing support in tight economic times. We know that our members have had to think differently and tighten their belts to successfully venture through this difficult time, so, too, must the Chamber.”

The Chamber’s changes, which will significantly reduce expenses, are as follows:

· Three staff positions lost through attrition in 2008 will not be filled in 2009.
· The membership department will continue to utilize two professional account managers and other membership services staff. Marketing/sales consultants will also be used to build and retain memberships.
· The remaining staff will take a one-week furlough.
· The Chamber’s contributions to the employee 401K Plan will be frozen for the balance of 2009.

The Chamber has put emphasis on its strategic lines of business over the past year that provides leadership through collaboration, builds community prosperity, enhances quality of life and serves as the voice of business. “We will continue to provide the highest program value to our membership and expect these changes will get us through 2009 and to a more prosperous 2010,” said Haskew.

The Greenville Chamber is the largest business organization in the Upstate, serving more than 2,200 members. The Chamber's mission is to build one of the premier business communities in the world by: Leading through collaboration, building community prosperity, being the voice of business and enhancing quality of life. For more information on the Greenville Chamber, call 864-242-1050, or visit http://www.greenvillechamber.org/.