Hanover Park going solo in chamber quest

Professionals haven't quite warmed to the idea of a Streamwood/Hanover Park Chamber Alliance. It's been a year, and negotiations between both towns regarding a merge are at a standstill.

Now Hanover Park is set on establishing its own chamber of commerce.

A village board-appointed committee overwhelmingly voted down a motion last month to collaborate with Streamwood in favor of going solo. A lack of unanimous support from the Streamwood chamber membership was cited as one of the main reasons not to merge.

The committee will approach Hanover Park officials in January about funding.

It's not the first attempt to create a chamber in Hanover Park. The most ambitious was in 2002, but a survey suggested that the local business community wouldn't, even in a best-case scenario, financially support the venture. The survey also found there wasn't a large demand.

Hanover Park is hoping that sentiment has changed. There are 482 registered businesses in the village, and a growing industrial sector. Benefits to establishing a chamber could include networking, promoting businesses, creating a business directory, tapping into home businesses, and taking advantage of programs offered through state and national chambers, officials say.

First, the committee campaigning for a Hanover Park chamber will have to convince the board the venture would be self-sustaining. The Bartlett Chamber of Commerce had $170,000 in expenses in 2006, according to its executive director. And Streamwood, which already has its own chamber, says typical annual expenditures amount to about $120,000.

Hanover Park has already allocated $50,000 in its budget as seed money, anticipating a merger with Streamwood would have already moved forward. But at some point, most likely after three years, village subsidies to the chamber would be cut.

Meanwhile, officials hope the sometimes-contentious discussions haven't strained relations between the two towns. Hanover Park Village Clerk Sherry Craig noted at the committee meeting that much of the resistance and negativity about the merger arose when it was insisted the newly formed chamber include the Hanover Park name.

"Members in high positions didn't want Hanover Park to join," Craig said.

Patrick Grill, Hanover Park community development director, stated the village board was aware some in the Streamwood chamber were against merging but that the majority of membership supported it.

Committee members are still looking at ways to work with Streamwood. They favored a proposal in which the Hanover Park chamber would offer a discounted membership rate to Streamwood businesses, and vice versa.