Taos County Chamber launches column
Thank you to for providing this column space for the Taos County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber Board of Directors and staff will write a Chamber & Business News column every other week. In this first column we would like to share what we are and what we do.
What is a chamber of commerce and more importantly, what does it do, are great questions. But perhaps it’s easier to begin by telling you what we’re not. The Taos County Chamber of Commerce isn’t just a networking organization. The chamber is not a government agency, not funded by city governments nor are we part of the U.S. Chamber. We do not lend money or settle business disputes. And we certainly don’t limit our scope to event planning and ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
What the Taos County Chamber of Commerce does, is as stated in our mission statement: The Taos County Chamber of Commerce exists to cultivate and sustain a healthy business environment in Taos County. We provide business promotion and referrals, networking opportunities, member news, seminars, representation with the Enchanted Circle Marketing Cooperative that influences New Mexico legislators, Taos County and town of Taos advocacy for responsible economic development initiatives. We promote our community businesses with our “Keep Taos Local, put your money where your heart is” campaign.
Here’s how we do it. The Taos County Chamber of Commerce is a business just like yours and we run it consistent with our vision, mission, goals and objectives, just as you do. We support your goals through advocacy, business promotion, educational opportunities, and yes, networking. Our Board of Directors has formed committees to enhance our effectiveness through the government affairs committee, education committee and membership committee. Our members serve on these committees and you are welcome to join them.
The chamber is technically a nonprofit organization, but we must generate a profit, a profit we reinvest into our members and the community. We don’t have shareholders, but we do have stakeholders, which include our member clients, as well as elected officials and strategic partners. We must show them a return on investment, just as you have to show your stakeholders a return on their investment.
As a regional “integrator,” the chamber fosters relationships with business leaders, elected officials and trade associations, as well as economic development offices, other membership organizations, workforce development authorities, military and veterans’ organizations, Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of New Mexico-Taos.
We place a high value on the importance of community collaboration and the power of “collective impact.” We firmly believe business cannot succeed without relationships and work tirelessly to provide your business opportunity to promote and create new, powerful alliances.
We get on the road and represent the Taos business community in the state Capitol, advocating for legislation to ensure a continual and strong pro-business environment, helping promote the bottom line for your business and improving the quality of life for all our residents.
We welcome our members’ ideas and use those to shape our future. We look forward to sharing information and news with you in this new format. Please contact us with questions and suggestions you may have.
Contact the TCCC at taoschamber.com, (575) 751-8800 or email susan@taoschamber.com. The Taos County Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting local businesses.