Chamber of Commerce: New President, New Location, Same Mission

Mike McMullin took over the reigns of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce (CCCC)  earlier this year and in June the organization moved its headquarters to Main Street. But with all the change, McMullin, president of the CCCC, said the organization remains committed to supporting businesses in Carroll County.

Established in 1924, the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce currrently employs 3 full-time staff people and serves more than 450 members.

In a recent conversation with Patch, McMullin shared some of the Chamber's successes and roles in the community.

Patch: What does the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce do?

McMullin: We are an independent business advocacy organization that
promotes our members with each other and the community at large.  We
provide over 20 free networking events throughout the entire county
annually, as well as numerous member meetings where businesses can
network with other members. We also advocate for our members with the
Carroll County Delegation in Annapolis by taking pro-business positions
on pending legislation when they are in session. In 2011 we took
positions on over 80 different bills.

Patch: What are some of the Chamber's success stories?

McMullin:

• One of our most successful initiatives this year has been our move back to Main Street in Westminster.  We have received numerous acknowledgments of how important this is to local Carroll County businesses. 
• 2011 marked the beginning of a five Commissioner Board in Carroll County and we scheduled a Business/Commissioners Breakfast in each of our five districts to allow business people a chance to meet the commissioners and ask them questions.  This informal setting has been positively received by businesses and commissioners alike and relationships have been forged that can help our elected officials hear the needs of business owners in their own words.
• Our Leadership Carroll class of 2012, which the Chamber facilitates in conjunction with the Carroll Community College, is in full swing this year with 33 in the class.  This is one of the initiatives we are most proud of and we already have people putting themselves on a waiting list for next year.
• Our continued partnering with Carroll County Schools in coordinating the Chamber's Outstanding Teacher Awards has been very rewarding. For 23 years we have honored Carroll's teachers for their excellent service to our children. Over 500 people attend annually and we had over 250 teachers nominated last year.

Patch: How does a company benefit from belonging to a Chamber?

McMullin: We are part of the marketing strategy of our members. They use
the Chamber to raise awareness of their business with other members by:
attending our networking events and other meetings, being listed in our
beautiful print directory and online directory and having links to their
websites from our website.  They also benefit when they participate in
our energy cooperatives and use our free resources like our bulk mail
stamp and notary service. Most companies do not have the resources to
hire a political lobbyist to advocate for their interests in Annapolis
and this is a major benefit we provide to all businesses.

Patch: What do you want people in the community, citizens, to know or
understand about the CCCC?

McMullin: Business is based on trust and relationships.  The Chamber
brings people together to build these relationships. We're also a little
like a health club; the value you get from the Chamber is normally in
direct proportion to the effort and priority you place on getting
involved and using your membership.

The Chamber is really not the three fulltime employees we have
working at 9 E. Main Street in Westminster, it's the community of
businesses who make things happen in Carroll County.

For more information about the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce visit their website here.