That’s the question I asked when I first considered working here a few years ago. The words “Chamber of Commerce” make it sound like a smoke-filled back room where private business deals are cut. Like many people, I’d heard of the organization, but had never been a member of one before. Even though they’ve been in existence for more than a hundred years, chambers are still misunderstood by some people in the community.
• We are NOT part of municipal government … though we love working closely and partnering with city officials on initiatives.
• We are NOT a chapter of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the Maine Chamber of Commerce … we are local and independent.
• We are NOT a cult of business leaders … though if anyone wants to bequeath us with all of their earthly possessions when joining, please give us a call (kidding).
Here’s what we are: The Biddeford & Saco Chamber of Commerce is a member-based, nonprofit organization. Our roughly 400 members are businesses and organizations in the area that have come together to join our association. Their dues fund operations at our Welcome Center office on Water Street in Biddeford. By charter, our mission is to promote business growth, commercial success, and the civic, cultural and educational interests of our community.
When I started working here, a board member made an analogy that the chamber is like a school booster club, only for our region and our businesses. Our goal is to promote our members and the region to help spur growth, create more job opportunities, and achieve a higher standard for residents. We are pro-business in the way that everyone ought to be in our economic system: businesses provide a return for owners and wages and benefits for employees that hopefully improves everyone’s life and allows for taxes to be generated to pay for necessary public functions.
What are the benefits of being a member of the Chamber of Commerce? Perhaps the most important one is having an easy venue with which to network and interact with other local business leaders. Building a network of contacts, relationships and potential customers is beneficial for any business, whether a company is just starting out or has been in business for decades. We also offer a number of other benefits, including our online directory of business services, our printed regional guidebook sent to all households in the area, monthly training sessions and seminars, special events like ribbon cuttings and anniversary services, advocacy, community relations and development, and member promotional and Public Relations services. Ultimately, when our businesses are thriving and growing, the entire area benefits.
Someone recently asked me, why is “growth” a chamber objective; wouldn’t it be better if we just stayed the same since it’s already great around here? The person went on to say that growth just brings more people and thus more traffic to our roads, increased school costs with more students to serve, more pollution, and other challenges. These concerns are valid, but I believe the case for growth outweighs them. Our economic system is constantly changing and evolving, with new industries emerging and older ones often becoming obsolete. We need to look no further than the old local mill businesses focused on textiles as an example — as markets shifted and evolved, their influence and success diminished, causing declines in employment and economic challenges for our region. The reality is there is no standing still in today’s economy, regions move forward or decline. And for local residents, quality of life improves with access to better jobs, higher incomes, and more opportunities. Anti-growth efforts stifle innovation and investment, the key drivers of a better future for us all.
An exciting development in recent years is the notion of “smart growth”, a set of principles that help shape local economies for the better. These include encouraging economic growth in targeted and strategic ways that also emphasize community benefits such as walkability, concentration in urban areas, diverse transportation modes and options, live/work mixed-use development, and overall work/life balance with municipal leaders partnering well with the business community and private developers. Smart growth also consciously considers important societal issues such as climate change and resource conservation in considering growth initiatives.
The Biddeford/Saco region has benefitted from this approach as much as any location in Maine, with thoughtful planning resulting in some amazing transformations in recent years, with much more currently in the pipeline. We feel lucky at the Chamber to be able to highlight and promote all the amenities and activity in Biddeford & Saco whenever we get calls from individuals or the media, or when visitors stop in at our Welcome Center. It’s truly an exciting time to be part of our community!
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