There has been discussion of late on a local Facebook page on the role that a Chamber of Commerce plays in a community. While Chambers across the country all try to fulfill similar roles, the way we go about it can vary based on the needs of the community. Another component to add to the mix is that Evergreen is in unincorporated Jefferson County. There is no mayor or town council to go to with issues. As a result, we receive phone calls about the mail service, potholes on our roads, and the elk herd.

In short, Chambers of Commerce are 501(c)(6) membership organizations, who are chartered to help their local businesses grow. This can be achieved by offering ways for business owners to learn new skills like what we offer at our monthly breakfasts. It can be about offering business-to-business networking opportunities, of which our calendar is full each month. It could be about helping a business get the word out to the community about the product or service they offer. For this we have multiple ways to assist, like through the annual directory, Explore Evergreen, that is mailed to each home, and the community app we released called Everything Evergreen that anyone can download on their cellphone. Just as strong of a case can be made that a Chamber should assist on topics like workforce development and workforce housing, which are certainly issues in our community.

A Chamber is not going to arbitrate a dispute between an employer and employee. I have taken many calls in my tenure here at the Evergreen Chamber from disgruntled employees who may or may not be Chamber members. In every one of those cases, I provide the information for the Colorado Department of Labor. In most cases, the caller appreciates the direction provided. In a recent case, the aggrieved decided to take to social media to put forth their side of the story. As a Chamber leader, you will not see me commenting on those types of posts, but I will reach out to the administrator of a community social media page to remind that administrator of their posted position of not allowing harassment. I do believe the administrators need to be held to their stated positions. There is certainly distance between someone providing a “review” to harassing a business, but if that line is crossed, we could see business owners pull out of our community because the hassle is so great.

At the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce, we have a staff of four people, a board of directors of 13 businesspeople, and a membership of over 500. This is who your Chamber is, and most all of us live in this community. We are here to assist our community and serve our members.

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, July 18, 8-9 am

Coffee and Connections

Location: Parkside Cafe

Join us for a quick early morning 

hour of networking. Free.

Thursday, Aug. 1, 4:30-5:30 pm

Connections and Cocktails

Location: Cactus Jack’s 

Join us for an end-of-day hour of networking. Free.

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 7:30-9 am

Monthly Breakfast

Location: Fountain Barbecue 

TOPIC: “Mental Health in the Workplace”  Register in Advance 

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 4-8:30 pm

Membership Appreciation

Location: Final Summer Concert of 

the Series at Buchanan Ball Fields