A Year in Review - Joel Baar, President

Posted: Mon, June 28, 2010

The official merger of the Greater Grandville Chamber of Commerce and the Jenison Chamber of Commerce occurred on July 1, 2009. It has now been one year, and it is time to reflect. Who has benefitted from this merger that brought together the best of each chamber?

1. Our community - We have worked very hard to connect business to community. We do that by honoring and recognizing exemplary contributions to our community (Bryant Domina and Gil Dykstra), by honoring outstanding businesses (Grand Office Supply, DeVries Landscape, United Church Outreach Ministry) and outstanding businesspersons who devote time, talents and treasure to others (Dr. Draft).

2. Our members – We have tried to keep our dues low while still providing maximum value for the investment. Under the leadership of our Executive Director, Sandy LeBlanc, it is fair to say that our chamber provides incredible value to our members through our business seminars, our leads groups, the events we put together, and the many opportunities available.

3. Our local non-profit entities – We have organized efforts to allow the community to identify the non-profit entities that are serving those in our community, and to help identify where their passion may lie so they can get involved.

4. Special Olympics – With the help of the West Michigan Sports Commission and our local schools, our community has been the home for the Special Olympics basketball tournament for the last 2 years, and we hope for many years to come.

5. Our schools – With the help of the Golf Outing and the generosity of our community, we have been able to provide a total of $7,000 in scholarships. Our winners represent a number of our local schools: Grandville Public, Calvin Christian, Unity Christian & Jenison Public Schools . The former Jenison chamber set the bar high with the Ted TerHaar memorial scholarships, and the Grandville business community embraced it.

6. Our government – Our chamber has returned to relevancy, and our voice is heard. We have helped organized healthy discussions on the Grandville Streetscape plan, are working with Georgetown Township on the pros and cons of a Downtown Development Authority, and held a debate, hosted by Tim Skubick, of the candidates to replace Pete Hoekstra in the U.S. House of Representatives. While we as a chamber do not take a position on any of these issues, it is important to provide a forum for healthy debate and open discussion, because our local governmental officials do take into consideration the views of our business community.

7. The Board of Directors – Many hands make light work. It can be difficult to merge two boards into a functional, cohesive unit. We have done that, which is a credit to those who volunteer on the Board of Directors. We are honored to serve you and our community.

It has been a busy, yet fun year. We are hopeful that the State of Commerce will honor our local chamber as a “Chamber of the Year”. We are in the process of submitting our application for this honor, and believe that we are a strong candidate for this award. As we move forward together, let’s continue to make a positive impact in our community.

Joel Baar,

President , Grandville Jenison Chamber of Commerce
2008-2009 President, Greater Grandville Chamber of Commerce