It is coming on six years now that I signed on to the Board of Directors of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce. For the past three years I have been serving as the president of the Board. Up until that time, my business had not been a member of the Chamber. As a boatyard, in the service sector, I saw no benefit to membership. But once I was on the Board of Directors, I felt I had to join, in fact I joined as soon as I agreed to serve.  

Now, as I prepare to rotate off the Board as required by our by-laws after two, three-year terms, I feel like I want to share some of what I have learned during these years on the Board. What has become evident to me is that local businesses benefit from more visitors to the region. Even if you don’t sell anything directly to tourists, more visitors help your business. As a boatyard owner, I did not see a direct benefit to my business from the activities of the Chamber. But now I see that with more visitors, more interest in our region, improving our reputation, paying attention to visitor experience, how important the work of the Chamber was to my business. My service business, my boatyard, did better every year, benefiting from the work of the Chamber and because of what our community and region is. The shop owner and employee that sells wares to visitors, eats in your restaurant, makes appointments in your office, repairs their car locally, attends a performance in your location, enrolls their child in your daycare, and the list goes on. The trickle down effect is real and evident in our small community. Even if you are here as a seasonal business and resident, please remember that how special our community is probably played a role in you deciding to do business and/or live here. All of these things contribute to the community that sets us apart from others.  

The conclusion for me is that even if you feel your business does not need the Chamber, joining helps. As the saying goes: “a rising tide lifts all boats!” and the job of the Chamber of Commerce and our business community is to keep the flood tide coming, in ways that are good for the town and the business people here. The chamber can only support and thrive, if businesses and community support it. Beyond the commerce aspect of the Chamber, the dedication to our community is greater than one may know. We have worked hard to bring back annual events that are as much for the visitors of our region, as they are for the community and businesses of our region. Our engagement throughout the community exceeds what may meet the eye and we are very proud of the work we have done in the past few years with the renewed strength of our organization. Please know we are here to support you, we also ask for your support.  

I have learned so much and had the pleasure of meeting and working with so many of you these past six years.  Please, if you do not currently support the Chamber with your membership, consider doing so.