Chamber leaders in the Tri-Cities reimagine their mission

At the risk of sounding stuck in a time warp, when thinking about chambers of commerce, I envision a little office in town with a bunch of nice people keeping track of memberships and putting together an events calendar.

I shared that dated vision with area chamber leaders when seeking an update about how chambers have changed over the past several decades. Most importantly, how do they intend to embrace future technology to aid their missions?

A city’s merchants want as much visibility as they can muster, but the tasks of a chamber of commerce go far beyond that these days, says Margaret Perreault, president and CEO of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce since 2019.

“The chamber’s work is much broader,” Perreault noted about serving its 550 members. “We help businesses find customers, build relationships, learn new skills, solve problems and have a voice in decisions that affect them.”

Advanced digital technologies and artificial intelligence, both getting much attention these days, are likely to be a significant part of what local chambers of commerce intend to do for members in the future.

“Artificial intelligence can help us brainstorm, organize information, research a topic or prepare a first draft,” Perreault said.

“But we still need to check the facts and make sure the message sounds like us,” she added. “Knowing our members personally is what lets us make a useful introduction or recognize when someone needs more than a link to a resource.”

It extends to helping business owners understand new technologies as well. “Through workshops, webinars, hands-on learning and introductions to knowledgeable members, we can help them understand tools that may save time or help them reach customers,” Perreault noted.

St. Charles Area Chamber president Paula Price doesn’t hold back her views on future technology.

“I think this may become one of the most important roles of chambers over the next several years,” Price said. “Large companies have IT departments, marketing departments and consultants helping them evaluate new technology.

“Artificial intelligence is a great example,” she added. “Small businesses hear constantly that AI is going to transform business, but many owners are asking a much more practical question about what it actually means for their company on Monday morning.”

A modern chamber can help close that gap, Price said. “That doesn’t mean the chamber needs to become a technology company. It means bringing in experts ― many times our own members ― offering practical education, introducing members to useful tools, sharing best practices, and helping businesses understand both the opportunities and risks.”

Geneva Chamber president Paula Schmidt feels her chamber takes advantage of many technology tools, from social media to digital marketing, databases, podcasts and AI.

“Each tool reaches a different audience and serves a different purpose, so it is important to understand how and when to use each one effectively,” Schmidt said.

When chamber members range from retailers to manufacturers to restaurants or health care providers, they also need different types of support.

“A new business may need introductions and guidance on getting established,” Perreault noted. “A longtime member may need help finding employees, understanding a community issue or reaching a new audience.”

In that regard, Perreault feels a chamber has to offer more than promotions in creating various discussion groups, membership sessions, ribbon-cutting events and education about serving senior citizen customers.

Price sees much of the same thing unfolding in St. Charles.

“I see the modern chamber as a connector and a resource,” she said. “We connect businesses to one another, to community leaders and local government, to educational resources, to potential customers and sometimes simply to the right person who can help solve a problem.”

A new advantage for chambers is the growing number of downtown business support organizations. These are most effective when “the organizations understand their respective roles and collaborate, rather than compete,” Price said.

A healthy community needs many organizations working from different perspectives, Price added, and the chamber “can be the place where those worlds intersect with the broader business community.”

Geneva’s Schmidt said as the number of support organizations grows, it creates a potential challenge for businesses, in knowing each organization’s responsibility.

“From the chamber’s perspective, having multiple organizations involved can be very effective when everyone is working collaboratively and their roles are clearly understood,” Schmidt said.

Ultimately, the goal should be the same — a strong business community, a vibrant downtown, and a community that attracts both residents and visitors, she added.

And it’s all happening in something much more advanced than some people sitting in an office wading through papers.

Next week, we’ll take a look at how a chamber tries to include all businesses, while acknowledging some small businesses struggle to see the value of chamber membership when comparing it to what they do on their own social media platforms.

Add pizza to Atlas’ mix

Atlas Chicken Shack has demonstrated some staying power at its small site at 511 S. Third St. in Geneva for an apparent reason — the fried chicken is really good.

On its social media platforms, Atlas owner Lawrence Colburn has said the Geneva site is adding Squares Pizza Pub pizzas to the mix. It brings in a product that has proven to be popular since Colburn opened a Squares Pizza Pub in Bartlett a year ago.

Colburn, who also owns Preservation wine bar in Geneva next to Atlas Chicken Shack, opened his second Atlas location in Bartlett three years ago.

But he’s not adding huge pizza ovens to the Atlas Chicken Shack. The Detroit-style pizza will be available in Geneva as a take-and-bake option.

Bring on Saturday nights

Norris Cultural Arts Center board members and supporters have often praised the use of the Baker Community Center in downtown St. Charles as an extra home base for its programming.

That’s how “Saturday Night Lights” became a standard feature six years ago in showcasing Norris Cultural Arts Center productions.

And there’s been a fair amount of buzz over the season seven opening act on Saturday, Oct. 17, when two-time Grammy Award winner Howard Levy, a harmonica innovator, teams up with guitarist Chis Siebold for a 7:30 p.m. show.

Tickets for the fall season of “Saturday Night Lights” are available on the Norris Cultural Arts website at norrisculturalarts.com.

Concert pianist Jeffrey LaDuer will perform classic music from the jazz age and silent film era of the early 20th century in a Saturday, Nov. 21, show that also includes a screening of the 1920 Buster Keaton comedy “One Week.”

A vote for Shack

As Geneva planners consider a proposal for Shake Shack and Cava Mediterranean restaurants to be part of a new building where the vacant Red Lobster now stands in the Geneva Commons shopping center, it reminds me of someone who would cheer for such a change.

When I worked in Chicago for the New York City-based American Banker newspaper and websites, my boss was a major fan of Shake Shack. He talked about it often as one of his favorite places.

He was aware of Shake Shack’s rise to popularity, from its humble beginnings as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001 and its growth to having a permanent kiosk in the park three years later.

From there, the business expanded its menu to include hamburgers and milk shakes, and its popularity and number of sites grew with it.

Having never been to a Shake Shack, I can’t compare its offerings with other fast-casual operations. But, overall, I have a positive vibe about this New York City original after hearing about it for years.

• Dave Heun is a freelance columnist based in Geneva. He can be reached at dheun@sbcglobal.net.