Values & Benefits of Chamber Membership
Networking Opportunities:
First Friday Coffee
- 7:30 – 8:00 am, first Friday of each month at a different Chamber Member’s business
- Breakfast snacks, door prizes and networking
- No cost
- Average of 65 - 70 people attend
Small Business Alliance
- 12:00 – 1:00 pm, last Thursday of each month (not Nov. & Dec.) at Goomba’s Catfish Co.
- Networking time during lunch
- Speaker covers a topic of interest to Small Business
- $5 donation accepted at the door
- Average of 40 people attend
Business After Hours - Benton County
- 5:30 – 7:00 pm at a hotel in the Rogers/Bentonville area with the Bentonville/Bella Vista and Rogers-Lowell Chambers
- Usually a Thursday in January
- Hors de’oeuvres, drinks, door prizes and networking
- No cost
- Average of 600 people attend from the county
Ambassador's Club
- 12:00 – 1:00 pm, meets the third Monday of each month
- Four teams, each with a captain and five team members
- Earn team points by volunteering for the Chamber and attending Chamber events
- Networking and team building experience
Ribbon Cuttings
- For any business that requests it
- For a significant anniversary (members only), a new store opening or a relocation
- Media exposure
Special Events:
Dogwood Festival
- Started in 1977 and held the weekend of the last Sunday in April each year
- Fri & Sat: 9 am – 7 pm Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm
- 200+ food and other vendors, including a KidZone
- Live entertainment throughout, with night concerts on Friday and Saturday
- Other community events held in conjunction
- Committee governed
- Increase in revenues throughout the community
- No cost
- Estimated 30,000 people attend over the 3 days
Annual Banquet
- 6:00 – 9:00 pm, January or early February every year
- Networking time during lunch
- Awards
- Business of the Year
- Volunteer of the Year
- Ambassador Team of the Year
- Pioneer Citizens
- Changeover of Chamber Board Leadership
- Keynote speaker
- $30 per person charge
- Average of 275 people attend
Chamber Challenge Golf Tournament
- 8:00 shotgun start, last Saturday in September
- 40 three-person teams
- Golf, food and networking
- $300 per 3-person team
- Average of 110 people attend
Education Events:
Honor Graduate Luncheon
- 12:00 – 2:00 pm, thursday before graduation each year
- Business representatives introduce all S.S.H.S. Honor Graduates and tell their accomplishments from high school and future plans
- $30 to sponsor a student
Back to School Breakfast
- For the teachers and staff of the Siloam Springs School District and John Brown University
- Introduction of new faculty and staff
- Keynote speaker
- 450 people attending
Arkansas Scholars
- Program from the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce
- Incentive for students to follow criteria for their four years of high school
- Attend school 95% of the time or better
- Take core classes
- Finish in four years
- Training in 8th grade from Chamber volunteers
- Students following curriculum get t-shirts, pizza parties, and a hamburger cookout at the end of their senior year
- Students get a seal on their diploma/transcript verifying their following the criteria
Adopt-A-School Program
- Getting the business community into the schools
- Each school has their own Adopters (Northside and Allen Elementary have combined group)
- Meet at the school of their choice once a month during the school year with teachers and principals
- Each Adopter group conducts one fundraiser during the year to help get items for the schools that are not currently budgeted
- Technology improvements, white boards, digital cameras, reading books, playground equipment, etc
Publication & Media:
Annual Report/Program of Work
- Published in January each year reviewing the past year and listing the programs/committees of the Chamber for the coming year
Community Profile
- Listing of all the demographic information for the City of Siloam Springs
Community Guide
- An annual magazine on the community published by the Herald-Leader
- Ads from Chamber members only sold by the Herald-Leader
- Placed in every packet and given to every person inquiring about the community
- Placed in area banks, insurance offices, hotels and AR Welcome Center at the state line
City Map
- Published every two years
- Ads from Chamber members only sold by The Mulikin Agency
Monthly Chamber Newsletter
- An insert published the last Wednesday each month in the Herald-Leader
- Updating the community on the Chamber
- Includes a community calendar
- Additional advertising opportunity for Chamber members
Website
- http://www.siloamchamber.com/
- Contains all Chamber information, including a list of members
Packets
- Welcome (relocation/visitor)
- Member
Emails
- “From Business For Business” Weekly Email one-time announcements for any Chamber member sent Tuesday of each week, text only
- Chamber news
- School district special news announcements
- Business assistance information
- Community interest information for non-profits
Programs:
Chamber Rewards
- Each Chamber member receives one discount card at no charge
- Each additional card requested is $1
- Attracts new and repeat customers by saving them money
- Opportunity to provide a discount for card holders
- Selected by the business to their specifications
- Chamber does promotion of the program
Business Buddies
- Long-time Chamber member assigned to a new Chamber member to take them to and remind them of Chamber events and functions
- Provide answers to questions about Chamber and other questions
- Assigned by Chamber staff
Leadership Benton County
- Program to better educate and train current and future leaders in a class of 45 people
- All-day classes held the second Thursday each month from August to May
- Training, education and networking
Community & Economic Development:
- Recruitment of industry and retail business
- Inventory of available land and buildings
- Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) data base and Arkansas Community of Excellence (ACE) Certification
- Promotion of tourism
- Focus on key attractions (i.e. skydiving, drive-thru safari, casino, downtown green space and walking trails, etc.)
- Ads in regional and state publications
- Northwest Arkansas Tourism Association membership
- Support of community development
- Enhancing downtown business climate
- Ex-officio seat on area non-profit boards
- Main Street Siloam Springs Board of Directors
- Bridges to Wellness
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