Promoting small-town businesses and economic development requires passion for one’s community and a thirst for regional collaboration that often falls upon those who run local chambers of commerce.

Generally, these organizations are nonprofits governed by a board of directors — often local business owners and leaders — with a small staff overseeing day-to-day operations. They are funded primarily through membership dues paid by businesses, fundraisers and donations.

Each of these chambers has a unique identity reflective of the community they represent, said Karla Thompson, Dyersville (Iowa) Area Chamber of Commerce executive director.

“Once you’ve seen one chamber, you’ve only seen one chamber,” she said. “Every chamber is different.”

Thompson said a chamber’s work differs based on its community’s size, needs and resources. One unifying characteristic, however, is a passion for seeing their community thrive and grow through business expansion and community involvement.

“We want to make our area a great place to live, work and play,” Thompson said.

Promoting businesses, promoting communities

Comparing chambers to advertising companies is a faux pas, said Laura Holtz, Manchester (Iowa) Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. Still, promoting their members is a top responsibility, she said.

“Any chamber will say (they’re) not an advertising company … However, it is our job to promote our members the best we can,” she said.

When giving out referrals to residents for certain services, Holtz said her office recommends its member businesses, assuming it has a member within that particular industry.

Larger corporations and manufacturers, who do not necessarily need help with local advertising and promotion but still want name recognition in the community, might act as sponsors for chamber events. This is a trade off, Holtz said, in which these companies benefit from the events as they strive to promote the community as an attractive place for newcomers.

“When they’re trying to bring employees in town, we make sure it’s a fun, happening place,” Holtz said.

Cheryl Rife, Elizabeth (Ill.) Chamber of Commerce board president, said her chamber-led events also seek to bring in tourists to benefit her community’s economy.

Rife, the proprietor of Three Elizabeths Guest House, said her chamber is more loosely structured than many others and has no staff or office. Still, its goal is similar to other chambers, she said, which includes promoting Elizabeth as a good place to live and to run a business.

Getting the kids involved

Aside from fostering a good business environment in the present, chambers often invest in their future. Some area chambers are getting local youth involved in planning events, learning about local industries or even just learning about life.

Rife said River Ridge High School seniors taking a business class help with marketing and budgeting for Spring Fling, an annual celebration in Elizabeth.

“It’s a way we hope we’re enticing them with the importance of events (so) they stay involved in the future,” Rife said.

Thompson said her chamber twice annually puts on career fairs — one focusing on the business sector and one on the health care sector — for students to learn about these industries locally.

“We bring in speakers, and the students could get one-on-one time with the businesses,” she said.

Also hosted by the Dyersville chamber is a Real Life Academy, an activity in which local youth are given an income, marital status and children and then simulate paying bills and buying cars and homes from local businesses within their budget.

“That’s an eye opener,” Thompson said.

Regional cooperation

Area chambers do not all exclusively serve the municipality in which they are based.

Thompson said the Dyersville Area Chamber’s reach extends to nearby smaller communities like Farley, Earlville and New Vienna. Holtz said the Manchester Area Chamber represents communities all over Delaware County, while Rife said her chamber has members in Hanover, Woodbine and the Galena area.

But aside from having a wide reach within their own region, chamber leaders cooperate with other chambers and business entities all around.

Zach Nothdorf, owner of Corner Taproom in Cascade (Iowa), serves as board president of the Cascade Area Chamber of Commerce. As the general manager of Textile Brewing Co. in Dyersville and River Ridge Brewing in Bellevue, Iowa, he has a close relationship with both of those town’s chambers, too.

“They all do a great job in supporting their businesses,” Nothdorf said.

Being exposed to different chambers helps Nothdorf see things with different perspectives, which in turn benefits his work at the Cascade chamber and his businesses.

Rife said her chamber’s promoting of Elizabeth is aided by her collaboration with other local entities, such as Galena Country Tourism.

“Galena Country does a good job of putting a spotlight on our whole county,” she said.

Rife said her work with the Chamber, and as proprietor of Three Elizabeths Guest House, connects her with businesses in the Galena area, nearby rural wineries and tourism-focused entities across Jo Daviess County, which is all mutually beneficial.

“We benefit from our relationship with our other towns,” she said. “They’re very supportive.”