Dayton Area Chamber marks 114 years with annual meeting

DAYTON, Ohio – The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed its membership to the WinSupply Center for Leadership for its 115^th Annual Meeting today (May 26, 2021), to review the chamber’s work supporting businesses in 2020, and look ahead to the remainder of 2021.

This year’s Annual Meeting was the first large-scale in person event for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing allowed for a limited attendance of nearly 350 people.

2020 ANNUAL REPORT

During the event, the chamber released its 2020 Annual Report in the form of a video. Below are a few of the highlights of the chamber’s work in the previous year:

• COVID Response
  • Immediately moved to connect member businesses to vital information, including virtual sessions with experts in employment law, insurance, business continuity, disaster response, human resources, and the Small Business Administration.
  • Engaged in regular communication with elected officials, especially at the Governor’s Office, to relay business needs while emergency response plans and relief packages were being formed.
  • Worked alongside Montgomery County Office of CARES Act to provide PPP funding to 13,000 small businesses across the region, with a focus on reaching historically underserved businesses that were either ineligible or unable to receive funding from previous rounds.
  • Distributed $719,000 to 119 small downtown Dayton businesses through the ReOpen Downtown Dayton grant program thanks to partnership with the Downtown Dayton Partnership and the generosity of the CareSource Foundation.
• Uplifting the Underserved
  • Launched REACH!, an entrepreneurial training program for the formerly incarcerated.
  • Distributed $30,000 to 14 small, minority-owned businesses.
  • Declared racism a Public Health Crisis. 89 chamber member businesses signed a letter of commitment.
  • Hosted a racial injustice roundtable with 70 business leaders.
  • Welcomed 100 attendees to our annual Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Forum.
• Membership & Member Services
  • 6,124 virtual event attendees
  • 138 new chamber members
  • 89% member retention rate
  • Welcomed new president & CEO, Chris Kershner

With 2,200 members, the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce continues to be among the top 25 largest chambers in the nation and one of only 200 chambers of commerce in the country with a 5-star accreditation, as awarded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

View the chamber’s Annual Report video

Award Recipients

During the chamber’s Annual Meeting, the following individuals and business members were also recognized:

• KTownsend Consulting – John H. Patterson Corporate Partner Award
• Montgomery County Office of Cares Act – Jonathan Dayton Public Partner Award
• Jessica Saunders, Dayton Children’s – Phillip L. Parker Volunteer of the Year
• ConsumerOptix – Soin Award for Innovation (Press Release Available)
• ADAMHS – Premier Health Diversity & Inclusion Award

ABOUT DAYTON AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce brings together more than 2,200 businesses and organizations in a 9 county area surrounding Dayton, Ohio. The chamber strives to improve the region’s business climate and overall standard of living through public policy advocacy, economic development initiatives and providing networking and training opportunities for its members. Nationally awarded with “5-Star Accreditation” from the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Dayton Chamber is widely recognized for its innovative programs and outstanding contribution to positive change in the region. Information about the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce is available at daytonchamber.org or 937-226-1444.

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