Arlington Chamber Of Commerce Is More Than Shaking Hands And Exchanging Business Cards

ARLINGTON, VA — In many people's minds, a chamber of commerce is just a place where business people get together, shake hands and exchange business cards.

Kate Bates, CEO and president of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, admits that part of that stereotype is true. The chamber does create occasions for its members to meet and network. But it also helps them to the engage community, access business development and find educational opportunities. It also serves as the voice of Arlington's business community, especially at the local and state levels.

"A lot of what we've really focused on, especially during my tenure, is evolving the chamber so that we're meeting our members evolving needs at once, so it's not a one-size-fits-all approach," Bates said. "The government contracting firm has very different needs than the new restaurant and neither is more or less important."

Although Bates has been in her current role since June 2014, she's had a long association with the chamber and the Arlington community. Growing up in a small Illinois town, she came to the D.C. area as an undergraduate at George Washington University. After graduation, she moved to Arlington.

"At that point, I was working for a national nonprofit association called Women in Government, which was a bipartisan group of women state legislators," she said. "We worked primarily on health-care related issues. We did a lot with a campaign to eliminate cervical cancer and also were big proponents of access to higher education for women and people of color."

In 2007, Bates was at a transition point in her career and began considering her options. Most were more traditional choices that aligned directly to her education, such as government affairs or political science. Then she came across an opening at the Arlington chamber for a member services manager.

"It really was an events and development role and being from small-town Illinois, I liked the idea of a community feel and a community-based organization, especially coming from a national organization," she said.

Working in the pre-Zoom era, most of Bates' interactions with members back then were through email, phone calls and the occasional conference, but she really enjoyed being integrated into the Arlington community.

When the previous president retired and the chamber hired a firm to conduct a national search for a replacement, Bates identified herself as a candidate for the job, knowing that she wanted to stay regardless of the outcome. Eventually, the search ended and she was hired.

"Part of the benefits of working here is that you do get the opportunity to work closely with people from all sorts of industries," Bates said.

Membership of the the chamber is made up of about 700 businesses that have an interest in what's going on in Arlington County.

"More than 100 of those are dues-paying nonprofits, which is something really special about our community and our chamber in particular," Bates said. "Our mission is to strengthen businesses and the economic environment for those who work, live and do business in Arlington."

One public way the chamber provides opportunities for its members to strengthen and enrich their businesses is through holding meetings and regular events.

For example, the chamber is hosting a Women in Business Summit at Marymount University Ballston Center on Friday. The half-day event, which is open to all genders, is designed for women entrepreneurs, executives and professionals looking to enhance their business or careers.

"We've got nine different content-focused sessions on everything from emotional intelligence, to effective allyship for black, indigenous and people of color, to negotiation, training, and everything in between," Bates said. "That's a really powerful event that we're really excited to launch."

The chamber also offers a number regular educational and training opportunities each month. Upcoming events include a Virtual Breakfast Connection on Feb. 10, a Women in Business Master Class on Feb. 15, and a Small Business Roundtable on Feb. 23. Check the chamber's event calendar online for more details.

One initiative Bates was especially enthusiastic about was the recently launched Business Accelerator Program for Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned (SWam) businesses. Thanks to funding from Amazon, the chamber is able to offer 50 percent off the first year membership dues for SWam-certified businesses in Virginia.

One of the things Bates likes most about her job is seeing how the chamber can benefit its members.

"We had a restaurant in Ballston who got their pickup/drop-off area," she said. "They were struggling with getting the signage worked out, and our government affairs director reached out to the county and we got the signs put up. Things like that happen on a daily basis here and that's really part of what keeps it exciting."

This story is part of Patch's ongoing effort to cover the business community in Arlington. If you are a member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and would like to be profiled in an upcoming Patch story, please fill out this form. Business owners who may contact the Arlington Patch reporter directly at michael.oconnell@patch.com.