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Business
Puyallup-Sumner Area Chamber of Commerce Changes Name, Sharpens Focus
The Puyallup / Sumner Chamber of Commerce staff is focused on continuing to provide and improve the organization’s quality programs and advocacy efforts for its more than 640 member businesses in the area.
What’s in a name? Well‚ if you’re the newly christened Puyallup / Sumner Chamber of Commerce‚ quite a lot.
As the Eastern Pierce County Chamber of Commerce‚ the organization was well known for its business advocacy and many programs and initiatives. However‚ the name was felt by some to be a bit overbroad‚ and not representative of the Chamber’s specific service area. So‚ after board approval and a “soft” rollout‚ the new name became official on Jan. 1‚ 2007.
“The name before included a lot of communities which had their own Chambers‚ so we really wanted to narrow it down to where our members are located‚” explains Lora Butterfield‚ office manager. “The majority of our members are in Puyallup and Sumner‚ so we wanted to focus on that service area.”
Regardless of what’s on the letterhead‚ the nonstop activity hasn’t changed. The Chamber recently held its second business-to-business expo and is partnering with the Puyallup and Sumner school districts to put on a career conference aimed at high-school juniors and seniors.
“We bring in a select number of students to meet with business leaders and have interviews‚” Butterfield says. “They get to develop some interviewing skills‚ and some have even gotten jobs out of it.”
As for the expo‚ it’s taken off in its first two years and in February 2008 should be even bigger.
“We’ve had exhibitors both times‚ but the next one will also feature the official state of the city addresses‚ with the mayors of Puyallup and Sumner both speaking‚” Butterfield says.
Also on the books for 2008 are a golf tournament and tentatively‚ the launch of a new leadership program. Those events will fall under the purview of Tammy Wilson‚ the Chamber’s new program and events coordinator.
“The leadership program is really going to bring the business community together‚ and it will build better leaders‚” Wilson says. “The goal with all our different programs is to ensure that businesses are taken care of and that our members can get involved with what we do at all levels.”
The Chamber also continues longstanding efforts such as legislative advocacy‚ where it partners with other chambers in the South Sound Legislative Coalition to lobby at the state capitol regarding important legislation.
“We have a little something for everyone‚ which I think our members really like‚” Butterfield says. “If you’re not interested in government affairs‚ you might work on economic development issues. There are a lot of different ways to get involved here.”
And as far the new moniker goes‚ this isn’t the first name change for the 112-year-old organization‚ which now has around 640 members.
“Who knows‚ we may do it again‚ because we always want to make sure we reflect our service area‚” Butterfield says.
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
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