Benefits of Chamber Membership

Dear Prospective Member:

The Appomattox County Chamber of Commerce is an instrument of the business community, organized to enhance the collective interests of members' business firms. It serves as an economic development and business advocacy organization. The Chamber works along with town and county officials to assist Region 2000, a public/private partnership, in its promotion of business and economic development of our area.

The Chamber's leadership realizes that our county is home to an enormously valuable economic resource: the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, which is visited by over 150,000 people each year. This resource results in increasingly more dollars spent in our county. That means more revenue for our local governments and, hopefully, less strain on Appomattox businesses and residents.

The Chamber's Board of Directors is a 12-member, all-volunteer, group of local business leaders and individuals who are devoted to working with the Chamber on various fundraising committees, are committed to helping local businesses, and are always eager to hear from you.

Listed are some of the benefits of belonging to the Chamber:

	Chamber Website: The Chamber provides a detailed business profile for each of its members in the website's Member Directory.  The business profile may include such as information as a mission statement, hours of operation, goods & services offered, specialties, etc. so that any prospective customer/patron may know as much as possible about the business.
	Annual Business Directory: The directory published by the local newspaper, Times-Virginian, is distributed to thousands of people including local residents, visiting tourists, new residents relocating to the area, and other requests for business information.  For a fee, the directory will dedicate a page to your business, with a photograph of the business owner and employees, and a complete description of the goods & services offered by each business.  Chamber members are recognized and given a discount for purchasing the ad space, and a complete listing of chamber members is also included in the directory.
	Ribbon-Cutting Ceremonies: The Chamber will coordinate a "ribbon-cutting" ceremony with local dignitaries and the local newspaper for all NEW businesses locating within both the Town and County of Appomattox.
	Monthly Newsletter: The Chamber publishes a monthly newsletter to its members to keep them informed about what the Chamber and its subcommittees are doing.  The newsletter includes a message from the Chamber's president, a "welcome aboard" section for new members, a calendar of events, and articles about things happening in Appomattox.  The Chamber also allows members and local businesses to include a newsletter flier for a nominal fee.  Each new member is entitled to a one-time complimentary insert.
	Semiannual Membership Meetings: In the fall, a membership dinner is held wherein two local persons or groups are honored as "Citizens of the Year."
	Quarterly Membership Breakfast/Luncheon Meetings: The Chamber sponsors an hour-long breakfast/luncheon meeting every quarter that provides relevant business information to its members, as well as providing an opportunity for its members to introduce themselves to each other. Additionally, a guest speaker is usually invited to these meetings to provide information that is usually vital to the businesses.
	Economic Development: Participation in Region 2000 and other regional efforts to help promote economic development in Central Virginia. The Chamber is a member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Virginia Hospitality & Travel Industry Association.
	Seminars for Business: The Chamber sponsors seminars of interest to local businesses each year. Past topics have included customer service training, tax preparation, opening a small business, Red Cross, merchant meeting and record-keeping. Most seminars are offered at either a nominal fee or at no cost to the Chamber members.
	Anthem BC/BS Value Added Association Benefits: All Chamber members who are subscribers to Anthem BC/BS can add a host of "value added association benefits" to their existing coverage at no additional cost.
	Auto-Owners Insurance Special Rating Program: All Chamber members who are insured through Auto-Owners Insurance are eligible for discounts to their personal lines (10%) and commercial lines (12%).
	Community Involvement: The Chamber contributes to or sponsors many of the local community events in this area! The events include the "Appomattox Cheerz," "Miss Appomattox Festival" Pageant, Chamber Scholarship, the "Community of Candles" and Christmas Decoration Contest, and many others.

The Chamber has over 170 members including individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Formerly located in the Appomattox Railroad Depot on Main Street, the Chamber office is now located at 276 Court Street, and is open three days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sincerely,

J. Patrick Richardson
President