THE GREATER GREEN BAY CHAMBER
The Greater Green Bay Chamber exists to build a greater Green Bay by helping businesses succeed. Our members represent 88,000 employees – that’s more than 2/3 of the Brown County workforce. The Chamber is the convener, bringing together resources to enhance economic, workforce and community development. We are the champions of business development for Greater Green Bay because strong business builds a strong community.
VISION
The Greater Green Bay Chamber will be acclaimed as a leader in building prosperous businesses and a thriving community.
MISSION
To strengthen member businesses by enhancing economic and workforce development, resulting in improved quality of life in our community and region.
OUR STRATEGIC PLAN ON A PAGE
For more information about the Greater Green Bay Chamber, call 920.437.8704 or visit our staff directory for specific program assistance.
Business builds community – the Greater Green Bay Chamber
In the late 1800s – 1882, to be exact – a group of forward-thinking individuals came together to create a business entity. They sought a central place where businesses could connect, learn about opportunities, find solutions and have a “collective impact” greater than any one of them could make on their own. They filled this need by establishing the Business Men’s Association. And although this entity has gone through a few name changes, more than 135 years later, we’re still alive and flourishing. Today, we’re known as the Greater Green Bay Chamber, and our mission of good business = good community is just as relevant.
Take a look around you. In the Greater Green Bay area, Chamber member businesses who share this mind-set are in good company. We’ve got more than 1,200 businesses that represent more than 90,000 employees. We come together for common goals because we have a shared purpose in business. For some, it’s about learning about and affecting public policy. For others, it’s about sharing proven business practices. For even others, it’s about finding ways to develop their employees of today and the workforce of tomorrow.
While there is no “standard” Chamber of Commerce setup, our Chamber is unique even among our peers. Oh, we have the telltale events, recognition/awards, business resources and other elements for which Chambers are known. But our Chamber also has a full-fledged economic development arm that shepherds the community-driven Greater Green Bay Economic Development Plan. And that’s only the beginning of the annual $87 million+ economic impact it has on the economic development of our community.
Then there’s Partners in Education, the business-education partnership the Chamber spearheaded more than 25 years ago. Partners in Education (PIE) was ahead of its time in addressing workforce development in ways that are even more critical today. Bringing the educational and business communities together in one room to work together is something that’s still not happening in all communities. PIE’s focus is on something everyone cares about: workforce development. PIE’s collective impact is about taking the students in today’s classrooms and developing them into tomorrow’s skilled, prepared employees in the workplace…and in the process, into contributors to the community.
Those efforts are complemented by the leadership development well-known Chamber programs such as Greater Green Bay Teen Leadership, Leadership Green Bay and Current Young Professional Network deliver. We begin work on practical leadership skills starting with high school sophomores and juniors, skills they’ll carry with them the rest of their lives. And it’s programs like these, which have such a strong community orientation, that further root people in the Greater Green Bay area.
Whether you sit in at an economic development board meeting, a Partners in Education brainstorming session or a Public Policy Council discussion, you’ll find a common thread. Each and every one of the business people knows that working together, we can do so much more than any one of us alone. They know that while our members work in a variety of levels in a variety of industries, at the end of the day, we’re all people, people who want a sense of belonging to accomplishing something bigger than themselves.
When you stop and look around you, you’ll notice the role successful businesses play outside their walls. When there’s a need, the people in business discover it, define it and organize to respond to it, more times than not through – or in conjunction with – the Chamber. Think of the role business has played in making our community what it is today:
- Business founded and built the Green Bay Packers
- Business people gave us, and still support, many of our public parks, libraries, hospitals and educational institutions
- Business people founded and still sustain many of our human service, recreational, arts and health organizations
Thanks to their growth and success, businesses are able pursue their philanthropic passions. Time and time again, these are the people who give the tax dollars, donations, expertise, facilities and time needed, not to mention their spirit and energy.
The heartbeat of the Chamber is economic and workforce development that translates into quality of place. Members look to us for connectivity, access, solutions and collective impact. This is readily apparent in the many partnerships we have to benefit our members and the community as a whole.