To “insiders”—those who either work for the Chamber of Commerce or who serve as one of our many volunteers—the answer seems simple. But for those beyond the walls of our office complex in the Village Green Town Center, those who don’t attend networking events, who don’t attend seminars or workshops, who aren’t involved on committees or boards, who never look at our website or rarely read the local newspaper, the answer may be a little more complicated.

The mission statement for the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce states that we are “. . . a quality organization dedicated to the business development of our members, the economic growth of our region, and the highest quality of life for our community, the Ocoee Region of Tennessee.”

To be that “quality” organization and to achieve our lofty mission, we divide our work into seven divisions, each with their own set of goals and objectives: Business Development, Community Development, Convention & Visitors Bureau, Economic Development, Membership Development, Organizational Development and Public Affairs.

Recently, the Chamber staff presented the Board of Directors with a midyear review of the 2009 Program of Work, providing close scrutiny of projects completed or well underway, examination of objectives unattainable at the present, and an analysis of budget constraints and their impact on goals.

We also updated our “Did you know . . . ?” information, presented as a flyer in all new member packets and as a section in the Chamber’s membership directory. From that information, we were able to share some of the highlights of what the Chamber does with the young man from Athens.

Did you know the average cost of service by the Chamber to each member business exceeds $500?

Did you know business development seminars offer small businesses vital information for starting and staying in business?

Did you know the Chamber provides regularly scheduled networking opportunities for you to meet and get to know other business owners and managers in the community, often resulting in fresh ideas, new supply sources and new sales leads?

Did you know a wealth of up-to-date statistical information is available to you as a Chamber member—information we have compiled to help you have in-depth knowledge of your market and make better business decisions?

Did you know that through the Chamber’s Economic Development Council and the Bradley/Cleveland Industrial Development Board, the Chamber recruits new industries and assists local industries with expansion and workforce needs?

Did you know promotion of our region helped foster $69.5 million in new commercial building permits in Bradley County in 2008?

Did you know more than 1,100 high school students benefit with scholarship opportunities through Tennessee Scholars, a Chamber workforce development initiative?

Did you know the Chamber facilitates partnerships between 38 businesses and industries and each of the 27 schools in the Cleveland City and Bradley County School Systems?

Did you know the Chamber’s marketing programs and responses to inquiries constantly promotes the Ocoee Region as a preferred destination for relocation, tourist activities, sporting events, recreation, shopping, healthcare services and meetings?

Did you know an average of 80 relocation requests per month afford business exposure through listings and advertising in Chamber publications and on our website (www.clevelandchamber.com)?

Did you know that arts in our schools benefits from the annual Allied Arts Council’s “Chair-ries Jubilee” auction, which has raised more than $200,000 since 2000?

Did you know citizens in Bradley County pay about $230 per household less in taxes dues to tourism?

Did you know visitors spent more than $107 million in Bradley County in 2008, ranking us 13th in Tennessee in terms of tourism dollars spent here?

Did you know 75,000 copies of the 2008 Visitors Guide gave broad visibility to member advertisers and business listings relative to tourism (e.g., attractions, accommodations, restaurants)?

Did you know you can submit information about meetings, arts and leisure activities, and other functions to our calendar of community events and that residents and visitors can access this information by clicking the “One Community, One Calendar” icon when they visit our website?

And that just scratches the surface of what we do.

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