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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 M AY 1 7 , 2 0 2 1 F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S Chambers had to regroup to survive. Many thrived and showed members new ways to benefit from the organizations by becoming the information conduit about state rules, federal programs and COVID proto- cols. Others tightened their budgets to ride out the pandemic. "is was a fundamental change for our area for how businesses perceived what the chamber is," says Cory King, executive director of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber. "Really what chambers have always done was worked on issues most important to businesses and that involved a lot of networking and marketing. e return on invest- ment wasn't always that clear sometimes. e pandemic — with chambers being on the front line of sharing informa- tion — sped up the idea of return on investment." Offering small businesses a voice e Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber did several surveys to inform members about topics such as consum- ers' views on masking and social distanc- ing at stores and businesses during the pandemic. at chamber also set up a member forum with U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden. "It wasn't just them telling us their political speak. We got to tell them what we needed. It felt like I had a voice that I wouldn't have had on my own," says Allison Hopkins, owner of Wilcox Wellness and Fitness in Brunswick. "e chamber helped me feel that there was a larger voice speaking on my behalf and that made me feel less hopeless." Katie Doherty, president and CEO of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, launched a new series via zoom called "Chamber Connect" that was free to members to give them information and access to speakers from the state Department of Labor, the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and the Small Business Administration. e series was offered weekly at times during the pandemic because there was so much information mem- bers needed, Doherty says. "Everything changed last year. Normally we have a BrewFest, monthly business breakfasts and after-hours events. We went virtual. We worked around the clock. Members needed us and it was a way for members to see the value of the chamber," Doherty says. e Kennebec Valley Chamber, which has roughly 600 members, actu- ally gained new members during the pandemic, Doherty says. "e pandemic really gave the chamber the chance to shine and gave members a chance to directly ask ques- tions to state commissioners each week," Doherty says. New relevance Marshall Shepherd, project man- ager at Wild Oats Bakery & Cafe in Brunswick, says the pandemic helped it appreciate the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber more than the business had in its 30 years of membership. Wild Oats moved locations from downtown Brunswick to Brunswick Landing amid a pandemic and a drop in revenues because of the shutdown and restrictions. e move was stressful and the businesses needed customers to fol- low it to the new spot. King helped get the word out about the expansion and move by filming a video showing that the new Wild Oats location was only six minutes from the old one. e chamber also held a virtual ribbon-cutting event for the bakery cafe. "We went from the lowest level of membership participation to contribute more money to the chamber. We're now die-hard chamber supporters," Shepherd says. "We got really tangible benefits. e chamber figured out what we needed and gave us real results." Finding new revenue sources Shanna Cox, president and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, had only been in the position three months when the pandemic hit. e chamber, which has more than 700 members, changed its membership rate model by allowing businesses to pick the price point and benefits they wanted. "We wanted to make sure we stayed relevant and connected to businesses," Cox says. A monthly breakfast had been the LA Metro Chamber's biggest event before the pandemic and with a lot of retooling it continued in a new form. e chamber delivered breakfast to 70 to 80 businesses a month and had a streaming event with a speaker. Cox says that $15 per business event was invaluable to the chamber because it allowed her to see how businesses were operating during the pandemic, hear about their concerns and get a little masked-up personal time to connect with members. "ey were really grateful to us for coming to their businesses and it gave them a reminder that we're still there and listening to what they need," Cox says. e LA Metro Chamber also live-streamed its "40 Under 40" award program for rising professions. Ahead of the event, the chamber delivered decora- tions, favors, vouchers for restaurants and beverages so that participants got a sense of the festivity of an event — even if it was virtual, Cox says. "We have more new members and membership retention in 2020 was actu- ally better than in prior years," Cox says. "We were a reliable source of informa- tion, and broke down wonky policy talk to helpful, relevant, need-to-know C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F L A M E T RO C H A M B E R Lewiston resident and consultant Shanna Cox is the new president and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

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