Greater Danbury Chamber Of Commerce Expands To Include Brookfield

DANBURY, CT — The Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce is adding Brookfield to its roster.

The Greater Danbury Chamber will serve the 10 towns of Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Newtown, New Fairfield, New Milford, Sherman, Redding, and Ridgefield. The chamber's mission is to support local and regional economic development efforts, advocate for its members, and encourage regional business investment and greater cooperation.

The two chambers will combine officially on Mar. 31.

The Greater Danbury chamber's president and CEO, PJ Prunty, said the union has been percolating a while, but was stalled by the pandemic.

"At the latter end of COVID, we reconvened conversations and felt that it was the best move for the members of both organizations," Prunty said. "The ultimate goal was to achieve that scale and to grow the network of chamber members."

Prunty described western Connecticut as a "true regional economy," which made the assimilation of Brookfield easier than it might otherwise be.

"It's different than some other towns and cities in lower Fairfield County, or even more of the center of the state, where they've got their own town or city identity," Prunty said.

That "cross pollination" makes the area chambers more inclined to "pool resources,' Prunty said.

Unlike with almost every other kind of business merger, nobody is going to lose their job. The greater Danbury Chamber employs just three full time workers, including Prunty, and there's no duplication of effort with Brookfield's organization.

The organization pays those salaries through dues levied from its member companies, and events such as last weekend's successful annual Brookfield Gala.

Prunty pitches companies that membership in the local chamber boosts their credibility and online search engine placement, but said the real payoff is in the business-to-business connections forged.

"One of the key value-adds that I've noticed in my tenure here at the chamber, is the ability to make those introductions to other businesses," Prunty told Patch. "You can imagine that a lot of these organizations, whether small, medium or large, could spend a lot of time trying to find the right person to connect with, whether it be someone in their C-suite level or HR or sales."

The "warm intro" that chamber membership affords opens doors early, Prunty said.

Marie Miszewski, chairman of the Brookfield Chamber of Commerce, said the combination makes sense for the businesses in her town.

"Danbury provides a strategic long-term vision for the greater business community while recognizing Brookfield’s existing business base as well as the growth and expansion of new business opportunities.” Miszewski said. “We are excited about coming together with the Greater Danbury Chamber as it will expand networking, education, advocacy and support of businesses both large and small," Miszewski said in a news release.