Ask not what your Chamber can do for you

“The Chamber doesn’t do nothing for me.”
In addition to being grammatically incorrect, the phrase grates on me for a number of reasons.
First of all, the Kuna Chamber of Commerce does plenty for its members. A $150 annual membership gets you several benefits that help pay for the cost of your membership — and help you grow your business. Chief among those is the bulk mailing permit, which allows a business to mail at a reduced rate. Using the permit just once saves you enough money to more than pay for your membership.
Another benefit is the distribution of welcome packets. Mary Anne Sugai, the chamber’s administrative assistant, hand-delivers to new residents welcome packets that are filled with coupons and flyers about participating businesses. Because it’s absolutely 100 percent free to chamber members, it’s a wonder to me that more businesses don’t take advantage of this perk. There’s one guarantee: It won’t work for your business if you’re not in it.
Every month, the chamber puts on a luncheon, catered, with a guest speaker, such as Gov. Otter, state superintendent of schools Tom Luna, marketing specialists, motivational speakers, etc.
Lunch costs only $10, takes a little more than an hour out of your day and gives you an opportunity to network with other business owners and potential customers. Again, it’s an absolute wonder to me why more businesses don’t take advantage of this opportunity to try to grow their businesses.

You can read the rest of this opinion piece, icluding details of the first-ever Kuna Business Buzz-About, in my Editor's Notebook in this week's Kuna Melba News.