Writer: Jerrica DuBois
4 min read March 2024 — Chambers of commerce are integral to the business community of any region, and Middle Tennessee is no exception. As the region continues to expand, chambers are key to not only attracting businesses, but also economic growth.
Middle Tennessee set records for new business filings last year, quarter after quarter. According to the Tennessee Secretary of State, 19,304 new entities filed in Tennessee during the third quarter, and 77,596 new businesses filed within the year, which is a 2.9% growth rate. A high level of business filings typically leads to jobs, personal income, and state revenue growth.
Spurring this growth are the chambers of commerce in the region, and their presidents are leading the charge. As Women’s History Month comes to a close, Invest: spoke with Kim Baker, president and CEO of the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce and Melanie Minter, president and CEO of the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. They shared their thoughts on chamber impact, top priorities, and what it means to be a chamber of the future.
How has the impact and contribution of the chamber evolved?
Kim Baker: We foster the business and entrepreneur ecosystem in the Gallatin area. There is only one chamber in each community. In 2020, many chambers were not set up for success. They were not ready to ride the storm of change, and much of that was because they were not prepared to change in the first place. They were not willing to abandon old processes and jump headfirst into new ones. The Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce has served our community well in being able to innovate on a whim and be at the helm of innovation in our community. That is so important in leading by example. When our businesses see that we are willing to change and adapt, it helps them make transitions on their end, too. We are embarking on a huge project in 2024 as we turn 103. This year, we are making one of the biggest changes yet and relocating to a historic building in downtown Gallatin called The Station. It is a 10,000-square-foot building, of which we will occupy 5,000 square feet. This will be our office, but it will also be a hub for business, including an entrepreneur center, coworking space, podcast and media room, and more. It is the first space of its kind in the Gallatin community and will take our downtown to the next level.
Technology is on the rise for all parts of Middle Tennessee. Gallatin is well-equipped to continue to grow in the technology industry and be a hub for it. There are also many opportunities for healthcare. Outside of the traditional economic development practice, the sense-of-place aspect of a community is a priority, as well. Having amenities in the community that are nontraditional where arts can thrive and people can enjoy new experiences really makes a difference. We have so many opportunities to continue to expand in experience-based tourism and historic tourism.
Melanie Minter: The Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce has been busy in Lebanon, Mt. Juliet and Watertown. As we continue county and community growth, we make sure we are in the middle of the action. We started a Power of Technology campaign at the beginning of 2023 to ensure technology is not soundly complete in our 6,400-square-foot building but also digitally sophisticated. Currently, we are updating our building to be state-of-the-art with Zoom access. As a Chamber, we feel our value is to operate despite any uncertain economic challenges. We know there will always be challenges out there, so we have to look to the future with solutions that will help our investors, city and county.
In 2023, we introduced the Explore Wilson app that is powered by the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. This technology provides significant value to our community. The app is an exciting tool to help residents and visitors easily navigate and fully experience everything Wilson County has to offer. Access includes cities and county resources as well as local restaurants and businesses.
These enhancements ensure we can improve our operations while also remaining in the Top 10 of the Nashville Business Journal. Our sponsorships are also more digitally strategic so we can best serve our business community. To ensure that we remain competitive and relevant in the near and long term, we have increased our digital aspect and access alongside being hands-on in our community.
What are the Chamber’s priorities?
Baker: Our advocacy programming looks a little different than larger chambers with broader reaches. Ours has always been on the hyper-local level, working directly with city council to work on issues such as sign ordinances and other building and property aesthetics. They are smaller hills to climb, but they are equally as important to our businesses in Gallatin. We have seen a lot more attention toward understanding policy and what goes on at the city and county levels. My peers in the region and nationwide are noticing this trend. Business leaders are more in-tune with policy and many are getting more vocal. A lot of that has to do with being more connected online. It can often be polarizing, so our goal as a chamber is to continue to be a happy medium where people can find information that is factual and connects them to available resources. With this being an election year, we will be hosting a few candidate forums to bring attention to issues that are facing businesses.
Minter: Wilson County is very community oriented. Networking is powerful. Connecting people is our priority. Small businesses succeeding is our priority. People doing business with others in our cities and county is our priority. Companies doing business with other companies in our community is our priority.
Other priorities include avenues for a business or company to receive recognition that can be useful to websites, internal and external communications, making their company more attractive to do business or work. Our social media platforms give the opportunity to educate our county about you.
The Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce is committed to improving our community and giving back to our community. Our Chamber continues to embrace each opportunity to enrich our community with quality of life through a variety of events and programs. We are committed to engaging and nurturing people by providing a spirit of enthusiasm that is beyond compare.
What does being a chamber of the future mean for the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce?
Baker: For us, it is about paying very close attention to our members and having an ear to the ground. Chamber work is a lot like church work and other types of ministry work because you have to meet people where they are. For us, it’s about finding member needs. All of our members’ needs look quite different. We have large corporate partners that are national and international brands alongside small businesses, startups and nonprofits. As far as planning for the future goes, technology is always evolving. There is a lot of automation and artificial intelligence in the future. Being fully trained and aware of what is going on in those areas and maintaining lines of communications with experts is important so we can funnel information back to our members. Our new space will be transformable and prepared for change.
How has the local market changed with population growth and how is the Chamber adapting?
Minter: More entrepreneurs move in from other states. Since our unemployment rate as a county is 2.8%, we are trying to bring them into our workforce. While some want to work from home, we have had many people arriving lately who want to be a part of our community. For example, they may want to do something on the side while working from home which benefits both the workforce and the Chamber.
A distribution center for REI recently opened here, which is significant for our community. It is a state-of-the-art building with over 400,000 square feet and 280 employees. They hope to have 250 employees by 2024. It is a really fun place to work, which attracts what people are looking for, even if they are working from home. As a Chamber, we are seeing people trying new areas of employment as a way to integrate into the community. Those businesses like REI that are a member of Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce can provide their employees a great environment and community service. It’s a win-win for everyone.
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