St. Charles Chamber Bounces Back in 2010

Scott Tate, president of the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, says 2011 will be a big year filled with new events and new opportunities for businesses in St. Charles. 

St. Charles Patch: How do you think businesses are doing in St. Charles after the recession?

Scott Tate: From our perspective, I think there are still businesses out there that have a tough go of it. (The Chamber has) had a pretty decent growth. People are trying to do more marketing. We had 50 more members join than last year.  We’ve always been in the low 600s (number of members). Last year we took a major hit, like most businesses did.

St. Charles Patch: How is the city positioned in terms of diversity of industry?

Scott Tate: The nice thing is the city of St. Charles is fairly well varied. Tourism, gaming, industry, like Boeing and craftsmen industries. We’ve got some retail. I think we’re fairly fortunate to not rely on one thing.

St. Charles Patch: How was the Chamber affected by the recession?

Scott Tate:  In 2009, we saw a pretty large drop in membership. We calculated at 72-73 percent retention which is less. We usually retain about 82-85 percent. That’s a 10 percent gross loss. We’re shooting to maintain 85-88 percent.

St. Charles Patch: You said in 2010, you saw more growth in membership. Why do you think that is?

Scott Tate: A lot of factors. We offer new online services. Businesses are still finding a need to get out and market themselves. Prices remain where they were in 2006. We’ve been able to maintain our budget. It took us a little time to switch things over by not spending money on stuff that could wait.

St. Charles Patch: What’s on tap for 2011?

Scott Tate: We’re currently in the process of hiring a new third staff member. We’ve been down to two since August. It’s an executive assistant position. Next we’re going to do a program called, “Paint the Town Gold” to bring awareness of the economic impact students have on the community. It’s in the millions of dollars. I don’t think people realize the impact of 3,000 to 4,000 (students) have on the community.

Their parents come to visit and stay at our hotels. It’ll probably be linked to the opening day of football season. We’ll encourage businesses to welcome back students to St. Charles. We’ll also do the Santa Clause 5k Run/walk. We won’t do the Blast at New  Town, instead we’ll focus on the run. The Blast wasn’t a huge money maker.