Chamber History
On October 31, 1958 the Norwich Chamber of Commerce, led by William Kingman, voted in favor 140 to 5 to become the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce. The members of the The Chenango County Chamber of Commerce, Inc. filed their certificate of incorporation on January 17th, 1959. It was signed by the Secretary of State on February 17, 1959.
During the many decades of change since the inception of the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce in 1959, our commitment to the community has not changed, but has strengthened and grown with each year to meet the needs and challenges of our members, local residents, businesses and visitors. Today, our Chamber is more than a non-profit organization; it is a business, dedicated to enhancing the quality and strength of our community. The Chenango County Chamber has provided leadership in the community for over 50 years.
Adaptability, flexibility and continuous improvement are required for any organization to endure the test of time. We therefore constantly seek new ways to better meet the needs of our members and community in an ever evolving business, economic, and legislative environment.
In the 1970’s, Marylou Stewart began her job as Executive Vice President and remained in that position until 1995 when she retired. Under Marylou’s tutelage, the Chamber began offering health insurance to the members, The Chenango Foundation was incorporated, the first Leadership Chenango Class graduated, Accreditation by the U.S. Chamber was achieved, chamber programs and membership grew and the first trip to Albany to meet with State legislators was initiated.
In 1995, Tammy Carnrike was promoted to President & CEO. In the 1990’s and through the next decade, the Chamber became the Tourism Promotion Agency for Chenango County, adopted a resolution in support of the Center for Intensive Treatment, acted as a catalyst in the development of four-county task force to study the Route 12 corridor, published a full-color business directory, helped to recruit the Milford Academy to the area and added more member benefit programs.
Tammy Carnrike resigned from the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce in June of 2005 to take a position at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. At the time of Tammy’s departure, a consolidation of all the organizations was in process. Duke Crandall stepped up to fill the position in the interim. A new president and CEO was hired in the fall of 2005 and through the course of the next year, the Chamber went through a transitional period that included staff changes and a complete re-evaluation of our Program of Action.
In spring of 2007, Maureen Carpenter was promoted from Director of Economic Development to the President and CEO of the Chamber, as well as achieving the designation of Economic Development Professional (EDP.) Consolidation of tourism, economic development and Chamber operations was finally achieved under the new name Commerce Chenango. Once again, a new logo was implemented. During this time the Chamber played a critical role in recruiting Agro-Farma, Inc. to Chenango County. A new Member2Member Chamber discount program was initiated as well as several new workshops.
In late 2008, consolidation of the Chenango County Area Corporation, and the Greater Local Development Corporation was achieved and now operates under the name of Development Chenango.
In May of 2009, we once again took on a fresh “look” and implemented an innovative new brand as part of our strategic plan to increase awareness and promote the unified image of our organization.
Today, Commerce Chenango is close to 400 businesses strong and is committed to serving the business interests of the entire county by fostering and strengthening economic growth, promoting the wonders of Chenango County and serving the needs of visitors from around the world.
Our history is rich and powerful and Commerce Chenango is proud of how our active participation and leadership has impacted community achievements and we look forward to serving our community for decades to come.