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Sherwood Chamber reports membership gains, new website and asks city for support
Summary
The Sherwood Chamber of Commerce presented a year-to-date operations and membership update at the April 1 work session, describing membership growth, new marketing and events, fundraising goals and a request for continued city partnership and potential board representation.
Joel (Executive Director of the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce) told the council on April 1 that the chamber has been rebuilding since he joined last November and is pursuing membership growth, modernized communications and new revenue streams.
"We seek to connect, partner for growth and be a champion of the business community, creating a stronger Sherwood," Joel said, describing the chamber’s mission and recent activity.
Why this matters: a functioning local chamber promotes business retention, coordinates events that draw visitors downtown and can partner with city economic development efforts. Joel said improvements to chamber operations could affect downtown revitalization, visitor services and event funding that the city and businesses rely on.
Key points from the presentation
Joel said the chamber has added about 20 new members since November and currently lists roughly 167 members. He described operational changes: a new website (partial launch planned), two networking events per month averaging 20–30 attendees (up to 50 recently), improved social-media engagement and two new committees (membership and events). "We have 20 new members since I started in November," Joel said.
The chamber is pursuing multiple funding avenues: a Tourism Local Transient (TLT) grant application for 2025 (city helped last year), a Community Enhancement Program (CEP) grant for the Cruise-in event, and other alternate revenue ideas such as contracted services or sponsorships. Joel said the chamber’s current annual executive director salary is $65,000 and the board has discussed raising the salary toward a $75,000 target if performance benchmarks are met.
Requests and next steps
Joel asked the city to consider continued partnership, including possible city representation on the chamber’s board of directors and continued support for grant applications. Council members responding to the presentation said they appreciated the transparency and progress and discussed ways the chamber and city could coordinate on downtown events, signage and vendor placement.
Other details
The chamber highlighted efforts to connect students with local businesses for job shadows and career talks, to expand a business directory, and to explore membership tiering (including higher-level tiers for larger employers). Joel said the chamber’s financial results last year were limited but that it is seeking to grow revenue and diversify income beyond membership fees and events.
Ending
Councilors offered constructive feedback and support; no formal vote or city commitment was taken at the work session. City and chamber staff agreed to continue conversations about TLT/CEP funding, downtown event logistics, and potential chamber board participation by a city representative.
