COVER STORY –
Katy area businesses may have seen information about a number of different Chambers and wondered if it was worth it for their business to become a member. As a business owner, you don’t want to spend money on a membership that won’t help your business. Joining a Chamber can be a great decision.
What is the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce?
For over 60 years, the Katy Area Chamber has been looking out for business interests in the greater Katy area, specifically, the Katy ISD boundaries. Businesses join together to improve their value, visibility and credibility; share news, ideas and best practices; and become better connected with the industry’s they serve and the resources they need to serve them.
Membership Benefits for Small Businesses?
The Katy Area Chamber Team: Rick Ellis, Ashley Dewispelaere and Matthew Ferraro.
Being a Chamber member comes with many benefits that can boost business. Whether your business has a few employees or thousands, you can enjoy a return on investment by leveraging the Katy Area Chamber’s marketing, savings, advocacy and networking benefits.
Discounts
Chamber members will often offer discounts to one another. For example, is your business having a lunch meeting? Check for discounts with restaurants who are members. Need special fliers for an event or sale? A print shop that is a Chamber member might offer you a reduced rate.
Credibility
Being a member makes your business more desirable to customers. When a small business is a member of their local Chamber, consumers are 80% more likely to purchase goods or services from the business in the future. A Chamber membership can increase profits because customers view your business more favorably.
Marketing
Chambers promote your business, especially when you first become a member. The Katy Area Chamber has many marketing venues, including our website, social media, community events, email and print advertising. Any exposure the we give towards your business can be beneficial.
Advocacy
Chambers act as a voice for the common interests of members. If you have a need, problem or suggestion, please let us know, and we will put a group or committee to work on it. You also have the opportunity to get involved with the Chamber through a variety of different ways.
Networking
When you join our Chamber, you can network with other member businesses. By networking, you get to know others in your community, develop partnerships and support other businesses. If your business is ever in need, you’ll have a community of business owners to turn to for help.
Professional Development
The Katy Area Chamber hosts professional development events and programs. These events might include training, meeting opportunities or our Leadership Katy program. These opportunities help you learn or improve upon skills that are essential to running your business. You can use our professional development events to better your company without breaking your budget.
How to Get the Most Out of
Your Investment
Get Involved
When you get involved with the Katy Area Chamber, you will become better connected to your community. You will become more aware of community and business issues. You can help solve problems, and members can help you solve your problems.
The more you become actively engaged, the more you get to know the other community and business leaders that can advocate for your interests, too.
Earn Marketing
Take advantage of free brand recognition and exposure on the Chamber’s website and larger social networks, and the many cost effective advertising and sponsorship opportunities offered by Chamber newsletters, digital marketing campaigns and events to reach more of your market for less.
Your Takeaway
While Chamber membership has a price, there are many benefits to joining. The Chamber provides you with opportunities to get involved in your community and to better your business. And, there are ways to make the membership cost more manageable for your small business budget.
In addition to the direct savings and growth benefits, membership also supports community and non-profit projects that keep the local market strong and growing and supports efforts that provide a top-of-the-line workforce. Joining the Katy Area Chamber could be a smart business decision for you.
Leadership Katy
About
Leadership Katy is the premier civic leadership development program in the Katy area aimed at convening, connecting and mobilizing a pipeline of promising leaders to explore and address key business and community issues in the Katy community.
The Program
Each year, individuals will be selected to participate in a nine-month program that meets once monthly. Participants receive in-depth exposure to the issues facing the community through lectures, discussion groups, on-site visits, simulations and other leadership development activities. The program enables participants to develop their leadership capacities, build strong relationships and prepare themselves for the challenges of the years to come.
Benefits
Leadership Katy participants build the knowledge, confidence and motivation to become actively involved in promoting constructive change for the Katy Area. Class members will grow in awareness and understanding of the challenges and issues facing our community. Leadership Katy opens the door for enhanced corporate/organizational community involvement and visibility, develops valuable contacts and networks and helps identify where strategic alliances might be formed. Employers and sponsoring organizations will see increased leadership and problem-solving skills in their employees who participate in the program. The community will experience immediate benefit from increased involvement on the part of the participants and will reap future benefits from the collective commitment to effective leadership by the graduates of Leadership Katy.
Expectations
Graduation from the class represents the beginning of a lifetime of opportunity as a member of the Leadership Katy Alumni network. Alumni have the responsibility to foster continued leadership development in the region and are expected to support the work of Leadership Katy. In addition, it is expected that alumni will participate in constructive community change. They are also encouraged to serve on committees, boards and organizations throughout the region. Critical to the organization’s continued success is the support from past participants in program guidance, financial contributions and marketing the program to future participants.
For more information, call 281.391.KATY (5289) or visit www.katychamber.com.
