Van Horn: Charlevoix Chamber releases annual report
CHARLEVOIX — The Charlevoix Area Chamber of Commerce has released its 2023 annual report, shared initially to attendees at the Feb. 23 Annual Meeting and Awards Event, mailed to chamber members, and now available online and at the chamber office.
“The event brings together the community to celebrate the accomplishments of Charlevoix, the chamber, and those who go above and beyond to make the community a great place to live” said Sarah Van Horn, chamber president. “While we recognize those being awarded the annual Chamber Awards, we also use the event as an opportunity to share our Annual Report and the work that the chamber has done over the last year for businesses, residents and visitors."
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The Charlevoix Area Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization existing to support commerce and provide leadership to enhance the quality of life in our area. We exist because of and for our members: over 400 businesses, organizations and individuals of the Charlevoix area. In 2023 we welcomed 24 new members, including both new and existing businesses. Two of our members, Charlevoix Cinema and the Charlevoix Veterinary Hospital, celebrated 50 years of membership in 2023, adding to our list of over 30 50+ year members.
We are the go-to resource of the community, reaching many with our communication initiatives. In 2023, our website reached nearly 70,000 member page views and over 125,000 event page hits, as residents and visitors look for credible businesses, events and services. Our annual publication with Visit Charlevoix, the Guide to All Things Charlevoix which showcases our area activities, destinations and services, had over 55,000 hard copies distributed plus tens of thousands of digital downloads for the year. And the Biz Blast, our weekly e-newsletter highlighting member news and events, was sent to 2,000 subscribers each week.
With the support of membership, the Charlevoix Chamber hosts various programs and events to grow our economy, provide business exposure, support relationships and advocate for our community. The successful Chamber Check program sees renewed participation year-after-year with over $25,000 in checks sold in 2023, keeping dollars local and directly spent at chamber member businesses. We hosted 20 events in 2023 ranging from Business-After-Hours networking events to downtown festivals to annual educational events like the State of the Community luncheon.
Additionally, the chamber had some big organizational accomplishments in 2023. Van Horn completed the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organizational Management program, signifying our leadership in the chamber industry and the knowledge to achieve organizational success. In working to showcase our strengthened organization, we launched a new brand for the chamber which matches our energy, enthusiasm and professionalism in the work that we do.
We strive to continually support our members and the community through our organization, and are happy to report out our efforts each year. To learn more, view the annual report online at Charlevoix.org or visit the chamber at 109 Mason St.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Van Horn: Charlevoix Chamber releases annual report
