Earlier this year the Altoona Blair County Development (ABCD) Corporation and the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Boards of Directors announced the two organizations had initiated formal merger discussions. The move represents a larger national trend of chambers and economic development organizations coming together not only to provide a single point of contact for business development services, but also to stand behind a single marketing and communication platform.
The first phase of the merger process is now underway and includes creating a new governance structure and operational procedures to ensure both ABCD and the Chamber are ready to serve evolving business community and member needs. 2024 will be a strategic planning year focused on gathering Chamber member input and new ideas as well as potential changes they believe should take place. 2025 will be a year of implementation of the new approaches that result from the strategic planning process.
As part of this first phase and in preparation for the more formal strategic planning process, an online survey targeting both Chamber members and non-members has been launched. The link can be found on ABCD Corporation’s and the Chamber’s website home page. The link will also be distributed via email and through social media channels. Businesses, organizations or individuals, regardless of their membership status with the Chamber, are encouraged to take the survey. All feedback is needed and valued.
Visit www.blairchamber.org or www.blairalliance.org to access the survey link.
