Lower Township Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 20 Years

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary year, the Lower Township Chamber of Commerce has made huge strides since its humble beginnings. The Chamber was initially formed in March of 1994 under the direction of Lower Township Mayor Bob Conroy. “Bob called a meeting at Lower Township Hall with some of the local business owners,” explains vice president Linda Williams. From that point forward, these meetings continued and the Chamber slowly began to build membership.
After its first five years of existence, the Lower Township Chamber of Commerce had approximately 30 to 40 members. Today, they now have their very own home office located on Bayshore Road and count 14 original members among their current total of 177.
Beginning in 2005, the Lower Township Chamber of Commerce issued a comprehensive business directory in order to offer valuable community contacts to all Township residents. The directory is complete with a calendar of events, information on local ordinances, and a complete Chamber membership listing. The assembly of Chamber flags displayed along Bayshore Road has also been a notable recent achievement. They are representative of the excellent cooperation between the Lower Township Chamber of Commerce and the local government and have been very well received.
According to Linda Williams, this overwhelming support from Township dignitaries is what truly sets the Lower Township Chamber of Commerce apart. “We are so lucky to have such wonderful support from the council. The mayor has never missed a meeting,” she states. “We’re very small compared to most Chambers, but we have such quality members and a loyal network of local officials. That’s the key to our unique connection with our members,” Williams finishes.
Among the Lower Township Chamber’s crowning accomplishments, Hospitality Night has been most meaningful to local residents. “The community just loves the event,” explains rising President Kathy Louderback. The Chamber’s 7th Annual Hospitality Night was held on Friday, Dec. 6, 2014 at participating businesses throughout the area. It serves both to foster the Township economy and to offer a way for business owners to “give back” to loyal patrons.
September 16, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the chamber will hold a dinner at Lighthouse Pointe where it will celebrate the 20 year milestone, install the new officers and honor those that have been members for the chamber’s entirety. Lower Township Mayor Michael Beck will be in attendance in order to commemorate the Chamber’s momentous anniversary.
“We look forward to growing bigger and stronger with each and every year, and to someday celebrating our next twenty years,” finishes current president Barbara Frame.
-Meg Kummer