TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes Business Industries Exchange members.
Business Industries Exchange dissolved after 67 years; members absorbed into chamber
POTTSTOWN >> The TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will incorporate the membership of the former Business Industries Exchange (NARI-BIE) into the chamber’s membership.
The transition follows a vote Feb. 26 by the Business Industries Exchange members to approve a plan for liquidation and dissolution of the Business Industries Exchange (BIE) corporation after 67 years.
“The chamber is honored to bring BIE members into our organization, and we are anxious for their engagement and for them to benefit from the programs and member benefits we have to offer,” Eileen Dautrich, president of the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, said in a Tuesday press release announcing the agreement.
The Building Industries Exchange of Pottstown & Vicinity Inc. was organized in October 1952. Serving Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties, the organization promoted integrity within the local construction industry and its allied services, provided a professional network for member businesses and operated as a referral source for its membership and the general public.
In an interview Tuesday, Dautrich said the chamber was approached by the Business Industries Exchange about the possibility, with formal discussions getting underway about a year ago.
“The chamber has always been a willing and helpful partner to our group and we had maintained a dialogue over the past five years of this possible reality,” Christine Elliott of Whitegate Contracting said in an emailed response to questions Tuesday, speaking on behalf of the Business Industries Exchange board of directors.
She added that combining with the chamber “gave us the best opportunity to maintain our organization’s objectives and have the leadership and stability we require.”
Elliott added that the decision was necessary, as the group has struggled for 10 years with solvency.
Dautrich added that membership in the Business Industries Exchange had fallen to about 30 members, some of whom were already members of the chamber. She said the solution provides the chamber with the opportunity to benefit the organization’s existing members.
“There was lots of discussion to find out what they wanted their members to walk away with. From our conversations, they were looking for an opportunity that was something other than just disbanding the organization,” Dautrich said. “They wanted to keep relationships intact. We’re giving them an opportunity to do that with our plan.”
Elliott added that the Business Industries Exchange was looking to provide members with stability, solid leadership, interaction with a broader group of professionals both inside and outside the industry, activities, events, exposure, networking and professional development.
“The piece that will be missing is the industryspecific training. Each of our members may, however, maintain a separate membership in the National Association of the Remodeling Industry to maintain the opportunity for such credential training,” Elliott added.
The newest members are now part of a chamber with nearly 500 members, giving strength in numbers, according to Dautrich.
“Previously one of 30, they will now be one of 500. They have that power of the business community behind them,” she said.
As part of the agreement outlined between the two organizations, the chamber will organize a dedicated roundtable group to provide the former Business Industries Exchange members a forum to gather and to share with the chamber where the chamber can be making an impact for their industries. The forum will also provide a small group networking opportunity for current chamber members.
Elliott said in the release that the board looks “forward to this new version of their group which has been a Pottstown institution, promoting ethics and integrity in the building and trades industries since 1952, and thanks the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce for working with us over the past year to make this transition a reality.”
In addition to the benefit of some new faces in the chamber, Dautrich said that the move allows the chamber to segment and support a specific group of members.
“In the short time frame I have been in this role, we have readjusted our programs and made changes where we felt we needed to — to connect our membership,” she explained. “We have existing members in the trades and construction industries, but we hadn’t been targeting them. This will let us continue BIE’s mission and give us an opportunity to touch our members in those industries in a different way.”
The chamber has communicated with the Business Industries Exchange members, and they have been invited to the March 7 chamber membership breakfast.
In addition, Dautrich added that an orientation for the new members will be schedule to outline the member benefits, “so they can see how their company can fit in.”
Business Industries Exchange members joining the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce will receive a one-year complimentary chamber membership.
“There was lots of discussion to find out what they wanted their members to walk away with. From our conversations, they were looking for an opportunity that was something other than just disbanding the organization. They wanted to keep relationships intact. We’re giving them an opportunity to do that with our plan.” — Eileen Dautrich, president TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce