Chambers have existed for a really long time. You can look it up and see the first one was formed in the 1800's in France. The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce started in 1907. While our organization has had the same mission, it has had to evolve over time and really change how it is serving the business community. Innovation is important to Chambers and particularly important to the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce. We want to be the early adopters that can introduce new ideas, concepts and even be the ones to have to learn on the way, so we are paving the way for our businesses. Sometimes this is challenging because you are having to take risks but they are all worth it.
The reason why we take risks is because as an organization, we actually do take the time to learn from them. Whether good, bad or indifferent, we have to be willing to learn from what we are doing and what others are doing and work to improve. We understand we are not perfect, but that is part of the fun! We are always looking to our Businesses for help, support, and guidance. The great thing about that, is they are incredibly insightful and really work to make sure that not only their business is well taken care of but others throughout the community are too. They are continuous learners, and that is why we work regularly to bring outside experts in to bring new ideas and new perspectives. It is so important for us to realize that as a community we are being compared to other places all around the world. We do this by always innovating, always learning from one another and for always striving to be better.
We are also able to achieve innovation by bringing new businesses into the Chamber as invested partners. By having new businesses engaged and invested we are able to learn from them and also connect them to a network of learning as well. Also, by bringing new businesses into the Chamber we are able to have a diverse business representation because everyone comes from a different background, offer different skills and can lend their personal perspectives. We love our new members because they help us refresh what we do and make sure it is always relevant.
This year we hope to capture a number of new invested partners during a Membership Drive in November. We hope that you will join us in expanding your Chamber and let's get the right people into the mix, so we can continue to be relevant and useful for another 100 years!