I sat down recently with Chuck Paul, chairman of the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The two-year-old organization represents businesses and professionals in Berkeley Lake, Norcross and Peachtree Corners.
My first question was, “but don’t we have a Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce?” Paul’s immediate response was to support the Gwinnett Chamber and applaud their efforts, along with Partnership Gwinnett, to bring more jobs to the county. He said the association between the two chambers is a symbiotic relationship.
While the Gwinnett Chamber is available and eager to represent all businesses, large and small, for the most part their focus is often on the bigger fish in the pond. SWGC is positioned to fill the needs of the small to medium size business community. Companies with five to fifty employees may be less likely to join the Gwinnett Chamber due to cost of membership and distance to events.
Founders of SWGC also envision their cities as the gateway outside the perimeter. With the soon to be completed diverging diamond interchange at Jimmy Carter Boulevard, they see the area reclaiming its role as the first place to consider living and working OTP.
SWGC’s goals focus on support of businesses with lunch and learn events, senior executive roundtables and surveys to anticipate workforce needs. They’ll soon launch a business plan competition with winning entrepreneurs receiving financial and in-kind support to help bring their ideas to the marketplace.
Along with marketing opportunities and networking events, SWGC wants area entrepreneurs to bring their business ideas to market locally and provide them with resources to develop those ideas. They also plan to identify existing commercial properties that have outlived their usefulness and collaborate on redevelopment projects.
They also plan to focus on arts and education. SWGC plans to collaborate with the arts community for juried art shows and a performing arts center. They will work with local businesses to encourage internships for area students.
As the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber supports and helps develop their corner of the county, they make the county that much more attractive for the Gwinnett Chamber to sell. Similar efforts are underway at the Greater Eastside Chamber of Commerce representing Snellville, Loganville and Grayson. Done well, these satellite chambers can make Gwinnett even more attractive to businesses looking to move.
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