About

What is the Chamber of Commerce? The Chamber of Commerce is a concept found only where private initiative and free enterprise exist.

The Chamber of Commerce, as a wholly volunteer institution in the United States, is eight years older than the Declaration of Independence. The New York State Chamber of Commerce, first in America, was organized in 1768 and five years later, the first local Chamber was formed in Charleston, South Carolina.

In these 200+ years, the Chamber has grown from a single purpose Federation of Traders who organized to promote trade and cut costs by cooperation in certain operations, to a broad community development association which believes that when men and women of high purpose work unselfishly on problems which they have in common, progress will result.

All public issues are clearly within the field of the Chamber of Commerce, but purely partisan political issues are not.