Chamber Merger

Information About the 2023 Merger

The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce, Greater Massena Chamber of Commerce, and Canton Chamber of Commerce are pursuing the formation of an Integrated Chamber Partnership through a four-party merger.

As discussed in the Feasibility Study for an Integrated Chamber in St. Lawrence County, an Integrated Chamber would be designed to “best serve the communities throughout the county …[and] to pursue the full range of services that would benefit the collective businesses in each community.” It would realize benefits of shared services, streamlined communications, larger and unified voice for advocacy, support for community-wide planning, and regional strategies for marketing and economic development.

Chamber Merger Benefits

An Integrated Chamber would increase the impact and responsiveness to community needs through several elements, which include:

Dedicated staff in a downtown office in the community
Representation of at least three individuals on the Integrated Chamber’s Board of Directors
Community Ambassador Groups to provide on-the-ground support
Municipal Contracts-for-Services
Multiple staff that can apply different areas of expertise to communities in a county-wide role
Streamlining of the administrative burdens of chamber management

Many benefits would be realized through such an Integration, including:

Community-specific initiatives and community-dedicated staff per municipal contracts
Gains on operational efficiencies, cost savings, and shared services
Increased capacity of staff for community-specific programming: (Staff focus on skills and community promotion vs. administration)
Capacity for staff with specific skill sets (e.g., business development, workforce development, marketing, etc.) that can be applied to Massena and all county businesses
Consolidated budget but with reserved allocations and accounts for town-specific initiatives
One regional identity and brand for St. Lawrence County
Regional board of directors with representation from each community
Streamlined programming & marketing
Central community calendar and cross-promotion of town events
ILNY marketing support for all communities
Chamber members belong to a county-wide organization with more membership benefits
Leverages the strengths of each chamber and their employees
More funding opportunities to benefit the county and communities’ economic vitality
Focus on regional issues and a stronger, unified voice for county businesses
Greater attraction of visitors, potential residents, and businesses to the county with collective initiatives and access to state marketing programs and funds

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Chamber Merger Legal Documents

The mergers must be approved by the Board of Directors and Membership of each Chamber. Legal documents associated with the merger include the following:

Board of Directors’ Resolution Recommending Merger

Notice of Membership Meeting & Proxy Authorization

Bylaws for the Integrated Chamber

Certificate of Merger

Plan of merger

Questions about the Chamber Integration?

Please contact STLC Chamber Executive Director, Ben Dixon at: Ben@SLCchamber.org

Popular Regions of St. Lawrence County

With the mighty St. Lawrence River to the north, the Adirondack Park to the south, and our rich river valley in the center of it all, you'll discover a wide variety of activities & opportunities in New York's north country.