St. Charles Chamber of Commerce moving locations in July

Nestled between two of its biggest events of the year - the 99th Charlemagne Awards Celebration and the 46th Annual Golf Outing - the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce needs time to fill some moving trucks.

After spending a decade at its downtown location on Riverside Avenue, the Chamber office is moving about a mile east to the Tyler & 64 Business Park at 1601 East Main St. on the southwest corner of Main Street and Tyler Road. Chamber President and CEO Jim Di Ciaula said the move will begin on July 1, and it will take about a month to settle in.

As busy as he and his staff may be over the next several weeks, Di Ciaula appreciates the buzz of activity after the tough time the Chamber and its members endured while struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're kind of all over the place right now, but it's exciting," Di Ciaula said. "We think this will be a great location for us."

The location on Riverside Avenue was sold in April and will be part of continued development along the eastern edge of the Fox River. After he and his staff scanned the local real estate market trying to find the right spot, Di Ciaula said the new location is "probably a century newer building" than the one on Riverside and offers more modern features.

Di Ciaula said the new site has a better layout and puts the Chamber office closer to its members, including many that are based in the Tyler & 64 Business Park. In addition, the visibility is greater with signage along Main Street.

"Our goal was to stay in close proximity to the downtown, but we were kind of isolated in our location," Di Ciaula said. "What's nice is we'll be in the mix with other businesses in our new building."