Membership Benefits
At the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce we are pleased to offer a full array of benefits to our members. Our Program of Work is focused on providing value-added services and programs that encourage and support the economic growth and success of our members and the communties we serve.
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
The Chamber provides a range of benefits to directly connect our members through networking and resource sharing.
AFTER BUSINESS HOURS: These evening networking events typically held the third Thursday of the month between 5:00pm and 7:00pm, September through May offer a member host the opportunity to showcase their business, product and service to a target audience - other business owners, managers, and leaders who are members of the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce. After Business Hours events are hosted exclusively for the benefit of our members, and provide an excellent opportunity for networking and resource sharing in a relaxed and comfortable environment.
CHAMBER COMMUNICATIONS: On a weekly basis, area member businesses and community leaders receive our Thursday e-newsletter "What's Around the Corner". This informative newsletter offers Chamber programming information, information about area events and activities, and pertinent information that may impact our member businesses.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: As a means of keeping both our members and the communities we serve up-to-date with area happenings, the Chamber publishes a comprehensive Calendar of Events on-line at this web-site. As a benefit of membership, our members receive all Premium Calendar postings on a complimentary basis, a saving of $5 per posting.
AMBASSADOR CLUB: The Ambassador Club helps to keep positive news in the press by welcoming new businesses to South Haven with Buck for Luck presentations published in the local newspaper and presenting Business Improvement Awards to area businesses. Our Ambassador volunteers meet on a monthly basis and are considered the goodwill arm of the Chamber. All members are invited to join our Ambassador Club and assist us in embracing, recognizing, and supporting new and improved business in the greater South Haven area.
ANNUAL MEETING: Our Annual Meeting is held each spring typically over dinner. This event allows our membership to join together to review our performance over the past year via our Annual Report, to preview our strategic direction for the upcoming year, and to celebrate business and community success through our Annual Excellence Awards.
MEETING OF THE HR MINDS: The Chamber coorindates a monthly luncheon where top Human Resources Professionals have the opportuniyt to meet with their peers. This luncheon is a networking opportunity to facilitate discussion about such topics as employee attraction, retention, development, benefits and more.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT
HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance is one of the largest single expenses facing business today. Through your Chamber of Commerce, members have access to various Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan group health insurance programs which may provide the coverage needed within the constraints facing today's small businesses.
CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN: Many of South Haven's manufacturing companies are expanding their overseas exports. Periodically, these shipments require a certificate of local manufacture from the Chamber of Commerce. Our staff are ready to assist your needs relative to exporting opportunities.
SMALL BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CENTER: As a member, you have access to assistance from the Small Business Technology Development Center hosted by Western Michigan University at Lake Michigan College - South Haven Campus. Center assistance is available on-site each third Wednesday of the month on a free-of -charge and confidential basis. This business counseling service is available to anyone interested in starting a business, existing business, and those interested in expanding their business.
GROUP AUTO & HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE: The sole proprietor, principal partners or manager of Chamber members may qualify to participate in a group insurance program with Hastings Mutual and Auto Owners Insurance. This is another important program saving area business much needed capital.
SOUTHHAVENMI.COM: As a member, your business automatically receives a basic listing on the southhavenmi.com website. This listing contains your business name, address and phone number. The listing can be placed in several categories and is part of a database searchable by category or business name. For more information about our enhanced listings please contact our Chamber staff.
VISITOR RESOURCE ROOM: Our Visitor and Resource Room contains information ranging from telephone books, to guides on starting and expanding a business, access to local demographic and expenditure data, and member pamphlets and brochures.
MEMBER MAILINGS: All members have access to the Chamber's Bulk Mailing Permit and can benenfit through savings on regular mailing costs of up to 33%. Members may also access a mailing which contains all Chamber members who are aoften a good target audience in a large mailing.
FRONT DOOR & COMMUNITY INFORMATION
The Chamber provides a range of benefits to assist our members in being more successful in business and to also provide greater opportunities to create more awareness about their business.
FRONT DOOR: When you want information on a community, you contact a Chamber of Commerce. We are the front door for the greater South Haven area. If we don't have the information, we find it or point you in the right direction. With such a prominent location, almost 2 million vehicles each year pass by the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce office.
LEADS AND REFERRALS: Each year your Chamber answers thousands of telephone calls and responds to hundreds of walk-in visitor requesting information about businesses in the greater South Haven area. Our sophisticated membership management database Rapid Referral system allows us to send out real-time referrals. From information for the summer visitor to information for the area resident and new business, our database retrieves memership information for leads and referrals in seconds. Our database allows us to capture important inquirer information such as name, address, and phone number for the inquirer, these inquiry leads are available to our members upon request.
COMMUNITY PROFILE & MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY: Members are able to list their business in this 32 page high-quality publication that is used primarily as an economic development tool for the area we serve. This dynamic publication is distributed to all members, stationed in high-traffic areas, distributed to area visitors and residents, and used as our premier promotional resource for business and lifesyle relocations.
RELOCATION PACKETS: The Chamber provides information to individuals, families, and businesses interested in moving to the area. Our extensive relocation packet is custome designed to meet the needs of the inquirer. These relocation leads are available to our membership as requested.
MEMBERSHIP LISTS & LABELS: Members have free access to the complete membership mailing list as well as a set of mailing labels per year.
EVENT AND FESTIVAL ASSISTANCE
In addition to coordinating major fundraisers including the Blueberry Festival Craft Fair and the All Crafts Fair, the Chamber is the central coordinator of the Ice Breaker festival and assists other area festival organizers with event support. We answer thousands of calls each year on the "who, what, when and where" of area festivals, and local events and activities.
ICE BREAKER: As the central coorindator of the Ice Breaker festival, the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce hosts this event each year during a time that is typcially slower in the downtown of South Haven - February. The Ice Breaker event is held to encourage people to come to town during the winter to enjoy an array of more than 50 ice carvings, to warm up by tasting chili, and to support numerous area non-profit organizations who host events and activities for the purpose of fundraising.
BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL CRAFT FAIR: In 1996, the Chamber of Commerce began coordinating this two day craft fair as an attraction during the Blueberry Festival and a fund raiser for the Chamber and the National Blueberry Festival Committee. This craft fair is held mid-August during the National Blueberry Festival with over 140 booths in Stanely Johnston Park.
ALL CRAFTS FAIR: Each Labor Day Weekend the Chamber coordinates this two day craft fair that brings over 240 exhibitors to Stanley Johnston Park and 25,000 people to the South Haven area.
For more information about these and many other benefits proudly brought to you by the Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, please contact our staff at 269-637-5171 or e-mail us at cofc@southhavenmi.com.
