"We Mean Business"

Many of you do business outside Butler County, and I am positive that you contact the Chamber of Commerce in that area when looking for opportunities or services. Imagine that process in reverse. Statistics show that our website has a phenomenal number of hits daily, and the number one section viewed is the membership directory, with number two being our calendar of programs and events.

Chamber members are listed free of charge alphabetically, by type of business and by contact name with a direct link to your website. ButlerCountyChamber.com lists our programs and services and each event sponsor is additionally listed with logo. Boards and affiliates are listed. Many of you may not realize it, but someone contacted you because they found you on our website.

Remember the contact at that important business you wanted to meet? Odds are they will be at one of our seminars or mixers; maybe at our networking luncheon or business training seminar; maybe involved in Leadership Butler County or one of our other affiliates. We provide every avenue possible to assist your business to grow, and we encourage you to become involved.

We all like to do business with those in our comfort zone if possible, and we all appreciate the opportunity to meet prospective clients through social and business settings. The Butler County Chamber of Commerce has provided this service since 1896, and we do it better than anyone does.

When we say, “We Mean Business” we guarantee that our membership is given every opportunity to grow their business. What other organizations promise - exposure, regional partnerships, area wide networking and professional staffing and programming - we deliver without forgetting our home and our roots.

Chamber members will be receiving their investment statements for 2012, and many of you will be examining expenditures. You will notice a slight increase in our base investment (last adjustment was 2003) from $250 to $315 annually. No single investment offers you receive free access to over 600 area businesses locally; free exposure via the web internationally; unlimited opportunity to avail yourself of a wide variety of networking through committee and event involvement; the opportunity to “business socialize” with regional contacts and access to the resources of our entire membership who offer a wealth of expertise in areas from public relations and marketing to investments and training. Whether you are a small family-owned business or a multi-national corporation, we have a service or activity that suits you.

Through our connection to numerous local, regional, state and federal agencies, our Chamber can open many doors to you if you just “knock.” So, when someone asks you why you belong to our Chamber Family, you can honestly answer “too many reasons to mention.” I can assure you that one of your best business expenses is your investment in the Butler County Chamber of Commerce.

Stan Kosciuszko, President, Butler County Chamber of Commerce