The Boulder Area Chamber of Commerce is at a crossroads.
The Chamber, around in its current form since 2008, remains vibrant in some ways: It counts 46 commercial and individual members representing the breadth and diversity of business interests in Boulder and surrounding communities.
But, it has never really functioned like a traditional chamber: few local businesses have embraced networking parties or other events that, in many communities, connect people with business interests. That’s a function of Boulder’s economy, driven mostly by self-employed entrepreneurs with little time for meetings (unless there’s food involved!).
Instead, the Boulder Chamber is primarily an events organizer — in fact, it says so in our bylaws. And we’re pretty good at that! The 32nd annual Boulder Car Show on Aug. 23 will attract vintage car enthusiasts from across the northwest. Next month’s Music & Arts Festival promises a daylong, family-friendly celebration of tunes and dancing. Our weekly farmers and artisan market in the summer and the Holiday Bazaar in November features dozens of crafters, artisans, and food vendors.
We believe these events are good for Boulder: They bring in folks who otherwise wouldn’t visit, and they generate economic impact for the city. Our members support this strategy because they believe it’s a net positive for Boulder.
Here’s the thing, though: We don’t have enough people to make all this happen. Our core team, including board members Connie Grenz, Deb Gabse and Rose Perna, and especially our secretary Pat Lewis, who does pretty much everything, is terrific. But there are only so many of us — and most of us are a bit long in the tooth.
This isn’t a new challenge, and the Chamber isn’t the only group in Boulder that’s struggling. The leadership of the Kiwanis is aging out, too. Same with the Boulder Fitness Club. Our fire department and ambulance service have worked for years to recruit new volunteers.
We all need folks to step up, pitch in and, eventually, take over. Speaking for the Chamber, we could really use some fresh blood — energetic volunteers who see the value of our events to the community and are excited at the idea of running them.
Without that support, we can’t make these activities what they could be. And eventually, they’ll fade away.
I don’t think anyone wants that. I sure don’t — which is why I’m committed to staying with the Chamber, for now. Please get in touch if you’d like to join the fun.
Bruce Binkowski is president of the Boulder Area Chamber. Contact him at binkprod@gmail.com.
