In 2007, the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), IBM, Administaff, Small Business Network, Inc., and Market Street Services commissioned a national study that revealed that membership in the local chamber of commerce can significantly boost a business’s image among consumers and other businesses. In a scientific survey of 2000 U.S. adults, The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based strategic consulting firm, found positive perceptions of chamber members in a number of areas, including overall favorability, consumer awareness and reputation, and likelihood of future patronage.

According to the results of the study, when respondents were told that a particular small business was a member of its local chamber, they were:

63% more likely to want to purchase goods or services from a small business that is a chamber member.

44% more likely to rate it favorably than respondents who were not told of the chamber affiliation.

“We discovered that informing someone about a company’s chamber membership opens the door to substantial increases in positive perceptions of that business. There clearly is a feeling by our respondents that chamber membership is synonymous with quality and desirability."
~Alex Trouteaud, Ph.D., The Schapiro Group

2012 Chamber Annual Report

Best Places to Work Belong to the Local Chamber

The best places to work tend to belong to their local chamber of commerce, according to a recent study by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). Local chambers of commerce are associations of businesses that come together to improve the local economic climate and help members network and find new business. Strong employers link with and learn from like-minded peer companies through business-led civic organizations - chambers of commerce.

Click here to view more about the opportunities that Chamber membership provides.