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Dell Rapids Chamber director: membership near 60, mixers and weekly outreach planned
Summary
During the April 21 meeting Chamber director Matt told council the Chamber has grown to about 60 paid members, is launching weekly business emails and a video podcast, and will participate in a Dakota Resources cohort this summer.
Chamber Director Matt provided the council an update on April 21, reporting membership growth and a slate of outreach initiatives aimed at reconnecting businesses with local promotion and hiring channels.
Matt said the Chamber stuffed 6,000 eggs for an April 12 Easter event and thanked County Fair and Del’s Materials for sponsorships. He said the Chamber is producing a community guide to be printed by the end of the week for distribution by May 19 and plans to hold multiple business mixers starting in May. He also said the Chamber will launch a weekly video podcast in May to highlight local businesses and amenities.
Membership and jobs Matt reported the Chamber now has about 60 paid members, “and we’ve gotten about 4 or 5 that have never been chamber members before,” a rise he contrasted with last year’s count of “about 6 paid members.” Council members present said the figure compares to an earlier era when membership was 75–80 and that the new director’s outreach shows early signs of recovery.
Training and events Matt said he will attend a Dakota Resources cohort in Chamberlain this summer and will also attend the statewide MACE conference in Sioux Falls next week. He said an ongoing weekly email to businesses is driving interest: “we’ve had over 100 people click into our job openings each week the last 2 weeks.”
Council follow-ups Council members asked for historical comparables and suggested Matt follow up by email with membership data for 2023 and 2024; Matt agreed to research and report back.
Why it matters: A larger, active chamber can support local hiring and event promotion; council members said they view the growth as a positive sign but asked Matt to provide comparative benchmarks.
Ending: Matt said he will be out next week for training but will continue to provide weekly email updates to the council and business community.
