For over a hundred years now, Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce, a private business organization, has brought businesses together in Delaware County.

The chamber currently has over 400 members in the Delaware County, and according to its website, the chamber ensures that Delaware County continues to be one of the fastest growing counties.

The mission of the Chamber is to serve as a leader for programs and services benefiting members by promoting and advocating a favorable business climate.

“Membership at a Chamber (of Commerce) is a lot like membership at a health club,” said Holly Quaine, president of the chamber. 

A Chamber of Commerce offers resources for businesses to be able to utilize and prosper using them. Businesses pay a membership fee to be a part of the chamber and are encouraged to do business with other members.

“If someone calls us looking for a plumber, we refer them to one of our member plumbers … we are very loyal to our membership,” said Quaine.

At various outings and events throughout the year, members are brought together to get to know each other. Quaine said, “We are very fraternal. We all support each other’s work.”

The chamber has had significant impact in the growth of downtown Delaware, according to Quaine. “We have a 95 percent occupancy rate on the first floor of downtown, which is unheard of in towns this size. We’ve become a restaurant destination.”

“If you’re searching for a parking spot on Friday night or Saturday night, as aggravating as that might be, that’s really a good thing,” said Quaine.

Advocating for business friendly initiatives is a top priority for them, according to the chamber’s public policy agenda.

Quaine said, “We have a transportation task force made up of members and individuals within our membership interested in how transportation issues impact business. We lobby for those at Ohio department of transportation.”

They have another taskforce called “Workforce Development Education and Community,” that focuses on members’ workforce issues and how the chamber can assist them.

The Chamber also advocates for enactment of local and state agreements to expand global trade opportunities for Delaware business owners.

According to its website, the chamber advocates for federal, local and state tax policies to reduce financial burden on businesses.