Emerging Cities Council

The Emerging Cities Council is for selected chamber CEOs that typically run the main chamber in small to mid-sized cities. Members of this group communicate via a group email list and occasional conference calls (archived below). In-person meetings occur regularly, perhaps twice a year. Additional meetings and interchanges may occur at the regional level and can possibly include a senior staff person at the group's approval. Membership in the group is on a case-by-case basis; while many chambers qualify according to the demographics, overall group size hovers around 40.

Demographics for the group include:

Participants: CEOs
Chamber membership: Membership of about 1,000
Community: Population of metro/greater area of 100,000 - 250,000
Chamber revenue: about $750,000
Chamber competitive geography: Largest chamber in region to allow for open peer-to-peer dialogue

Emerging Cities Conference Calls/Webinars

2020

January 2020 - Communicate Value as Chambers and Creating Clear Messaging, Jonathan Packer, SVP Customer Experience, Austin Chamber of Commerce
February 2020 - Economic Development Programs, Henry Florsheim, IOM, President/CEO, Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce

2019

January 2019 - Dues Structure Elimination, Tom Baldrige, President/CEO Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
February 2019 - Workforce Housing/NIMBY Jamboree, Chris Romer, President/CEO Vail Valley Partnership
March 2019 - Business Leads Fellowship Program - Haley Ast, Manager, Programs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
May 2019 - Leverage Your Foundation to Increase Gross Revenue and Services to the Community - Dave Adkisson, President and CEO, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
June 2019 - Compensation/Bonus Structure - Cathy Burwell, President and CEO, Helena Area Chamber of Commerce
September 2019 - The Value of SIMSOC to Community Leadership Programs - Brent Henley, The Pyramid Group
October 2019 - OneVoice Process/Fly-in Logistics - Elizabeth Osburn, SVP, Government Affairs, Tulsa Regional CoC