Chamber holding new member drive

In the News

The Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce is always open to new members, but through the end of September, there is an extra incentive to join.

The Chamber’s annual Membership Drive is currently underway, and executive director Lily White said this one will feel a little different than in years past.

“Normally, when we do a membership drive, we have them pay up until the end of next year,” White said. “This year, we’ve changed the structure to have them pay less up front.

“This year, we have them pay only $75 to join from now until this December so that we can explain what the new dues will look like. That way, people who weren’t sure in the past or were on the fence can get a less expensive look at what they would get as a member, after which they can decide if they’d still like to be a member at the full price.”

White said the Chamber has about 265 members both inside and outside of Maryville, including a little bit of everything from Northwest Missouri State University and the area schools to businesses and non-profit organizations. White said there are other forms of membership as well.

“Our associate members are any one individual who wants to be part of the Chamber,” White said. “Most of the people we have as associate members are retired individuals who were members while they were working or employees of businesses which aren’t chamber members.

“We also have government officials who could be associate members, and the list goes on. Usually, though, if the business itself wants to become a member, that desire is driven by the owner.”

Since White started as the executive director last year, this is the first time she has done a membership drive with the Chamber. She said her main goal is to spread awareness.

“There’s such a misconception about what our purpose is,” White said. “This gives us a chance to get in front of people to make them more aware.

“They can get the chance to hear what our purpose is from our mouths, and it’s under a more focused time frame. We don’t necessarily have a number we want to hit during the drive this year.”

In general, the Chamber provides advocacy for businesses, networking opportunities, and business development seminars. The member drive ends Sept. 30.