In 50 years, the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry has helped both the business owners and the communities it serves develop into the economic forces they are today. The organization itself has evolved in many ways, too.
The chamber marks its golden anniversary April 1 with a celebration at Villa Penna in Sterling Heights. The evening will serve as a time to reflect the chamber’s past, and learn what’s happening now and in the future.
In 1961 the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce was started by a handful of business owners, including a newspaper publisher, a lumberer, a clothier and more. Richard Duncan, owner of the former Sterling Heights-based Jerome Duncan Ford, was also one of the first members and recalls the early days of the chamber.
“We knew the chamber would give us as business owners an opportunity to get better acquainted with the community,” said Duncan, who served as the organization’s second president in 1962. “We also learned about new businesses that were coming into the area, and we worked with the service clubs like the Rotary and Lions clubs; it was a cooperative thing and together we all prospered.”
As Utica and surrounding areas continued to grow, the chamber evolved to reflect the communities it served, becoming the Shelby-Utica-Sterling Chamber of Commerce in 1967, and in 1972 the Utica Area Chamber of Commerce. In 1977, it was the Northwest Macomb Chamber of Commerce and in 1986 it became the Sterling Heights Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2009, the chamber adopted its present name.
Longtime member Ray Weingartz of Weingartz, a power equipment retailer in Utica, served on the chamber’s Board of Directors in the 1970s and recalls how the chamber worked to recruit more businesses to join. “During my years on the board I remember trying to reach 50 members,” he said. “It’s amazing now there’s over 1,500; that says a lot about this chamber and its leadership.”
In 1976, Lillian “Lil” Adams took the helm as executive director and helped the chamber grow from 67 members to the more impressive numbers it boasts today (it’s the sixth largest in the state). During more than 30 years with the chamber, Adams, who retired in 2008 and passed away in February 2009, pushed for the widening of M-59, a project that has greatly contributed to the economic boom of Macomb County.
“Without her and the chamber, M-59 and the businesses that surround it would not be what they are today,” said Ray Lope, co-owner of the Utica-based William Sullivan and Sons Funeral Directors and a longtime chamber member.
“There’s no doubt that the chamber has been part of our growing and through their efforts we’ve come a long way,” said Sterling Heights Mayor Richard Notte. “They do a good job promoting the businesses in Sterling Heights.”
Utica Mayor Jacqueline Noonan listed many events in which the city and chamber worked cooperatively through the years including the Rhubarb Queen and festival in the early 1960s, the city’s 150th and 175th celebrations, sponsorship of candidate debates, the Heritage Luncheon and Mayor’s Exchange, and many more.
“The city of Utica is proud to have been a partner with the chamber over this last half century,” Noonan added. “We love the SHRCCI and look forward to decades of fine partnership into the future.”
The chamber’s Board of Directors has been led by 42 presidents (now called chairman or chairwoman of the board), with several serving more than one term. Wayne Oehmke currently serves as president of the chamber and Mike Weiss of MM Funding Solutions is the current chairman of the board.
The first president was newspaper publisher S.T. Vanderven in 1961. When Vanderven presided over the chamber, the value of all real and personal property according to its Michigan Nonprofit Corporation Filing information was $595.15.
The chamber’s heritage communities of Sterling Heights, Utica and Shelby Township are still home to almost 50 percent of the chamber’s membership. Other members are located within every Macomb County community. In 2010, the chamber collaborated with the Anchor Bay Chamber of Commerce to strengthen opportunities for both chambers.
Although the chamber has continued to grow and evolve through the years, it has not lost focus: to help its members succeed, Oehmke said. It’s BRAG (Business Resource Alliance Group) is one of its most popular programs with more than 300 members meeting in 13 groups weekly. BRAG was started in 1999 as a way for owners to increase business, get to know other members and build lasting relationships. Other networking programs include the chamber’s After 5, and Breakfast and Business events.
The chamber also boasts a Business Women’s Exchange, expos and educational seminars, an economic club and more. Members also receive discounts on various insurances, phone service, office supplies, legal services and other items. The chamber offers marketing opportunities for its members as well.
There’s an active core of volunteers involved with the chamber, including 22 on the Board of Directors and more than 30 people who serve as ambassadors, who are members who attend ribbon cuttings, regularly call on other members and promote the chamber in other ways.
“We’re very, very blessed with all these volunteers,” Oehmke said.
The chamber launched a dynamic website around two years ago that allows members to register for events online, search for other members through a directory, advertise and communicate. The technology-driven organization is also active on social media websites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It also keeps in touch by sending regular emails and through its electronic newsletter, The Regional Connection.
Also new to the chamber is Marvelous Macomb – the chamber’s affiliation with the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau, which aims to bring tourists and locals to area hotels, restaurants, stores and more. The chamber is sponsoring its first Fabulous Food Restaurant Week April 25-29 along with its annual Spring Grub Crawl, set for April 27.
“We never lose focus that we are small-business-orientated,” Oehmke said. “It used to be people joined the chamber because it was the right thing to do. There is still a spirit of camaraderie, a spirit of belonging, but we also do something to help (small-business owners) grow their business and make connections.”
The chamber’s 50th anniversary gala takes place April 1 at 6 p.m. at Villa Penna, 43985 Hayes Road in Sterling Heights. Cost is $50 per person, and includes dinner, dancing, a premium bar and a program that highlights the chamber’s accomplishments. For reservations, call 731-5400, Ext. 10 or 13, or email shennessey@shrcci.com
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