Membership Lists and Marketing Leads

$350

A great way to target regional customers. The Chamber maintains data on over 3,200 businesses. Value calculated at standard mailing list rates of $.11 per record.

Directory and Website Business Listing

$500

Your business description (with geo-coded mapping) and link displayed on the Chamber’s business search directory. Your display is seen by hundreds of potential customers each month, generating sales and/or brand recognition. Compare to 4 classified ads in your local newspaper at $125 each.

Customer Inquires and Referrals

$200

The Chamber receives 5,000 information and referral requests each and every year and we only refer Chamber members. Value calculated at 4 sales of $50 per year.

Tri- County Business Expo

Ribbon Cutting Event

$460

Host an event where City officials, Chamber staff, and the Chamber Action Team celebrate your business. Ribbon Cuttings are prominently displayed in the The Republic’s Sunday Edition which has a circulation of over 28,000 subscribers, as well as The Business Connection and our Chamber eNewsletter which collectively go out to over 3,000 subscribers. Retail ad value rate for The Republic and Business Connection: $260 and $200 respectively. Cost to Members: $80.

$pend the Holidays With Us Campaign

$200

The Chamber receives 5,000 information and referral requests each and every year and we only refer Chamber members. Value calculated at 4 sales of $50 per year.

Partnership Packages

Chamber Action Team

$350

The Chamber Action Team is an integral committee that assists the Chamber in welcoming new members to the Chamber of Commerce. Get involved in this committee and you will be one of the first members to introduce yourself and services to new members when they join. Value at 40 new leads resulting in 7 new sales of $50.

Meet Me @5!

$500

After hours business networking event with hundreds of potential new contacts at each event. Learn about other Chamber Members while marketing your business in a fun social setting. Value at 50 new leads resulting in 10 new sales of $50.

TOTAL:

$5,640

Member-to-Member Discounts

$300

Average annual savings by participating in two member discount programs.

SmallBizU Online Training

SmallBizU is the largest online training academy created especially for small businesses. It is available for free to all Chamber members. SmallBizU teaches the 3Ms: Money, Marketing, and Management—essential fundamentals for those seeking to grow a business. Available “just-in-time” at the Chamber’s website, the 24 courses are valued at $50.00 per course.

Women In Business

Build relationships, learn from women who share similar experiences in business, and connect with opportunities in your community through our Women in Business Series. These events let you share ideas, learn from one another, and do business with other women. 4 programs a year valued at $40 per event.

Green Plus

Becoming a greener and more sustainable business is no longer optional; consumers are coming to expect it from businesses they frequent. Green Plus is a sustainable small business certification and education program that gives businesses practical support in succeeding financially while being good to their environment, employees and community. Use this triple bottom line education tool to enhance your business and position your company as one who utilizes good business practices. Value compared to technical consulting fees valued at $1,500 and $1,000 for a full day workshop.

Community News and Updates

Receive a free subscription to The Business Connection, a monthly publication published by The Republic. This and the Chamber eNewsletter are the best way to keep in touch with what is happening in the business community. Valued at $20 per month.

Experience the Power of Place and a Culture of Collaboration

The Chamber is actively working to grow economic clusters by being a catalyst for collaboration. This work creates a business climate of interconnected firms and institutions whose whole is more than the sum of its parts. These collaborations help to align education, training, and workforce development, provide economic and technical assistance, transfer technology and innovation, and create shared infrastructure on behalf of all cluster members. Current cluster development projects include such initiatives as Advanced Manufacturing, Embedded Systems, Independent Restaurants, Agri-Business, Medical Management, and Precision Engineering.

Member Health Benefits

15%-20% annual savings

The Chamber has assembled a suite of healthcare benefits provided through a collection of third-party providers that provide access to a spectrum of services for any size business including: 

• 20% discount on subscription fee for Nurse Practitioner Healthcare primary healthcare, occupational injury treatment and monthly health and wellness screenings. $300 savings calculated for 5 employees with an annual savings of $60 per employee per year.

• Access to SIHO Health Insurance Plans and Health Savings Accounts.

• 15% discount Wellness Program Fitness Classes at Columbus Regional Hospital. 

• Discounts on SOLUTIONS EAP, a mental health program that assists employers to manage human capital risk through reducing the problems that keep employees from being productive at work.

Discounted Educational Programs

$300

Receive up to a 20% discount on non-degree, continuing education programs and classes from Harrison College, IUPUC and Ivy Tech. Value at 5 courses per company per year at an average of $300 per course.

ITEX Barter System

$150

Instead of buying the things you need and want with cash, ITEX Members make purchases through a barter system with ITEX dollars - earned by selling their products and services, excess inventory or capacity to other ITEX Members. Chamber members receive ½ of the joining fee and save $150 when they join ITEX. ITEX is a great way to save money but also allows you to introduce yourself to potential customers that you may not meet otherwise.

SoINbiz: The Front Door for Entrepreneurs

$2,000

A universal front door for entrepreneurs that serves to connect the dots to local small business champs and service providers. Whether it’s finding the forms you need to start your business, or getting access to databases of over 15,500 businesses in the area, SoINbiz is your one-stop shop. Value is compared to $1,200 in business training courses, $500 in creating a business plan and $300 for online databases.  

The Entrepreneurial Network (TEN)

$480

Build relationships, learn from peer leaders, become a thought –leader, and connect with opportunities in your community through our collective entrepreneurial network. TEN is a place where you can share ideas, learn from one another, and do business together. TEN produces 12 programs a year valued at $40 per event.

Business Plan Advisory Services

One-on-One, Confidential, No Cost Business Consulting

$135

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers free, one-on-one, confidential business consulting to help entrepreneurs through the process of starting or growing their businesses. Value at 3 hours of consulting at $45 per hour

Market Analysis Reports

TOTAL:

$3,865

Third House Sessions

Join other business leaders for an open forum with our State Senators and Representatives. Express your concerns about legislation that affects your business and community as it is being debated at the state house.

Be Mentored by Wisdom

Be Part of a Unified Voice

The Chamber gives people an easy way to participate in something larger than themselves and their respective organizations. It provides a sense of community and purpose through a unified voice involving mutual interests and opportunities. The Chamber is at the table representing the interests of business at most community functions including local government, economic development, and education.

Connect with Leadership

Connect with hundreds of business and community leaders to advance your business. Chamber members support, recommend, and do business with each other.

Annual Meeting

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting is one of the community’s largest business events held each year. The event sets the tone and spirit of the Chamber’s Program of Work for the remainder of the year. In addition to the keynote presentation, the Chamber bestows some of its most prestigious awards at this event including the Edna V. Folger Teacher of the Year Award, the Business of the Year Award, the Project of the Year Award, and the Community Service Award.

Increased Business Reputation & Credibility

Compared to other businesses, Chamber Members are believed to use better business practices. They have a better reputation within their community. Members have greater visibility among customers and are perceived as more caring toward their customers. They have better credit and financial track records and are seen as more supportive of their community. Chamber Members are considered to be more stable and therefore reliable.

Experience the Power of Place and a Culture of Collaboration

The Chamber is actively working to grow economic clusters by being a catalyst for collaboration. This work creates a business climate of interconnected firms and institutions whose whole is more than the sum of its parts. These collaborations help to align education, training, and workforce development, provide economic and technical assistance, transfer technology and innovation, and create shared infrastructure on behalf of all cluster members. Current cluster development projects include such initiatives as Advanced Manufacturing, Embedded Systems, Independent Restaurants, Agri-Business, Medical Management, and Precision Engineering.

Economic Opportunities 2015 (EcO15)

EcO15 is a regional system of life long learning that connects residents of Southeastern Indiana to education and better economic opportunities within Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare Services, and Hospitality/Tourism. The goal is to move each person up at least one level in education, training, or job placement.

Advanced Center for Manufacturing Excellence (AMCE)

Columbus has 2.5 times the concentration of production, engineering and management occupations than other regions. The Advanced Center for Manufacturing Excellence is a shared, state of the art facility that builds competitiveness for regional manufacturers. The building contains integrated technology labs and curriculum that are blended with education, workforce, and business development training to deliver hands on, team centered, project based learning. This is just one example of how we have invested heavily in the human networks and educational infrastructure necessary to increase these talent-based strengths.

Talent Attraction System

Talent@Work | Talent@Play is a new comprehensive approach to attracting talent to the region. It includes a printed Talent Attraction brochure to create awareness and increase interest in our community, an online Talent Portal for capturing resumes from abroad and emailing them directly to your inbox, and a CYP Ambassadors Program which lends peer influence, and support to market Columbus as a great place to work and play.

Attract and Retain Young Talent

Columbus Young Professionals (CYP) is a program of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and Columbus Enterprise Development Corporation. . Its mission is to create a network that will enhance the Columbus community for the attraction and retention of young professionals. Its goal is to provide social networking, professional development, and community advocacy to young professionals in and around Columbus, Indiana.

Help To Create a “Plug-and-Play” Welcoming Community

The Chamber helps to create an open and welcoming community by being the community’s primary gateway and portal for newcomers and talent. We handle more than 5,000 requests for community information and relocation packages each year making us the number one referral source for most businesses in the Columbus Area.

Maverick Challenges and Awards

Few things are more important to our regional economy than innovation, entrepreneurship, and the inclusion of young talent. The Maverick Challenges are competitions designed to create a career pathway for further developing the innovative spirit of Bartholomew County by reaching out to students of all ages and showing them viable career opportunities through entrepreneurship. The Maverick Awards are an attempt to demonstrate that we believe these facets of our community are important and vital, that Columbus is a place where anything is possible and you can realize business aspirations right here. The Maverick Awards aim to recognize small businesses, innovators, and those who help them in the community.

The above is provided for educational and marketing purposes only. In some cases, member benefits listed above are provided to Chamber members by third parties as a benefit of membership. The Chamber is not involved either directly or indirectly in the provision of these benefits to individuals or businesses and has no direct or indirect control over the type, scope or quality of those services.