Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber - Maximizing Chamber Membership

Events

May Mixer at Elements Therapeutic Massage

Thursday May 17, @5:30pm - @7:30pm

Small Business Sounding Board (SB2)

Tuesday June 12, @8:00am - @9:00am

Multi-Chamber Breakfast at The Annapolis Sheraton

Tuesday June 19, @7:30am - @9:30am

News Digest

May 14 2012
Feds approve more BWI upgrades

The Capital - As BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport officials prepare for a $100 million terminal expansion this year, they also have received federal approval for a massive airfield improvement project. Read more ...
May 14 2012
O’Malley wants fast action from Md. gambling work group

Washington Post - In a bid to resolve some of the most difficult gambling issues left over from the last legislative session, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) said Friday that he would assemble an 11-member work group on casinos to undertake “a fact-driven process, aided by expert analysis.” O’Malley said the group would be charged with making public recommendations by June 20, in preparation for a possible second special session in July devoted to gaming issues. Read more ...

Small Business Digest

April 05 2012
GSA scandal sheds light on small business contracting fraud

Washington Post - Buried in the laundry list of misconduct claims against the General Services Administration is further evidence of what at least one federal official and one trade group call a critical problem for small employers: improper contracting that diverts government spending to large corporations instead of small businesses.

Recent analysis of government data that showed that 72 of the 100 companies receiving the highest amount of federal small business contracts in 2011 were firms that exceeded the Small Business Administration’s size standards for small companies. Read more ...
April 05 2012
What you can learn from Southwest Airlines’ culture

Washington Post - A consciously developed customer-centered culture is a business advantage that will serve you for years — and inoculate you against competitive inroads. Consider for a minute Southwest Airlines and the lengthy list of would-be category killers that have tried to imitate it: United Airlines’ United Shuttle, Continental Airlines’ Continental Lite, Delta’s Delta Express and US Airways’ Metro-Jet.

What did these companies lack: Money? Name recognition? Hardly. They lacked Southwest’s relentless focus on culture, which none of its pop-up competitors was willing to slow down to emulate. And all are now bust. Read more ...

Legislative Digest

May 14 2012
Maryland budget bills outline tax increases

The Capital - The budget package to be adopted during the legislature's special session that starts on Monday will increase the income taxes some residents pay, and will shift some of the cost of teachers' pensions from the states to the counties, according to draft bills the General Assembly posted online on Friday. Read more ...
May 14 2012
Gov. O’Malley touts low taxes as he calls special session to raise them

Maryland Reporter - Maryland has some of the lowest taxes in the country, Gov. Martin O’Malley said Wednesday officially announcing plans to call a special session of the legislature to fix a budget impasse — partially by raising taxes. Read more ...
May 14 2012
Group: Maryland too reliant on income taxes

The Capital - While Gov. Martin O’Malley has touted Maryland’s comparatively low tax burden on its high-income populace, some groups are concerned that the income tax hikes proposed for this week’s General Assembly special session will harm the state’s national rankings on taxes and business climate. Read more ...

Economic Digest

May 14 2012
Anne Arundel economic leaders seeking funding boost

The Capital - County officials hope to devote an additional $1 million toward business recruitment and redevelopment in the upcoming year. Read more ...
April 11 2012
Growth of U.S. labor force is slowing, reports show

Washington Post - The slower growth in the labor force arises from two factors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. First, the U.S. population is growing more slowly. Second, the percentage of Americans working or seeking work will continue to decline as the population ages. Read more ...
April 11 2012
D.C. region’s unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in Feb.

Washington Post - The Washington region’s unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in February from a seasonally adjusted 5.6 percent the month before, one of the lowest levels among the nation’s largest metropolitan areas and well below the national jobless rate, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department. Read more ...

Maximizing Chamber Membership

Membership Opportunities & Return on Investment

As one of the largest and most active Chamber of Commerce’s in central Maryland, the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, Inc. knows that businesses join the Chamber of Commerce for many different reasons. When those many reasons are collectively considered, they center on four primary values that businesses derive from their Chamber of Commerce membership. Most Chamber members consider themselves to be active in more than one of the value-based areas below.

Are you a Community Investor?
If so, then you and your business seek to advance the community by supporting and influencing initiatives that continue to generate positive growth, economic development, and quality of life for the region. You and your employees can:

Become active in the Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which supports charitable and non-profit initiatives in the region.
Participate on the Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, which seeks to prepare our youth for tomorrow’s workforce.
Participate on the Chamber of Commerce Environmental Committee, which seeks to enhance the quality of life in our region and identify best business practices for an increasing environmentally conscience consumer marketplace.
Become involved in recognizing and promoting business excellence through participation on the Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame and Business Awards Committee.

Are you a Community Builder?
If so, then you and your business seek to improve the regional economy and our quality of life by serving on committees, taskforces and boards directly involved in planning for the future of the region. You and your employees can:

Become active in the Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee, which promotes a strong and diversified economy throughout our region.
Participate on the Chamber of Commerce Government Matters Committee, which promotes favorable business legislation and regulations in our region.
Become active in the Chamber of Commerce annual regional business exposition, which heightens the awareness of the important role businesses have in our regional economy and publishes for the region an annual state of the economy.

Are you a Business Investor?
If so, then you and your business seek to improve your company’s bottom line by taking advantage of the many opportunities and programs offered through Chamber membership to save money and enhance your knowledge. You and your employees can:

Have access to the Chamber of Commerce Advantage Program that promotes preferred business-to-business and business-to-consumer pricing for goods and services.
Become a participant in the Chamber of Commerce Logo Program, which promotes branding, visibility, and exposure for your business as a company known for high standards and excellence.
Have immediate access to Chamber of Commerce resources, and referrals to strategic partners that will help your business grow, such as SCORE, Small Business Administration, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Center, Small Business Development Center, and much more.
Have access to the Virtual Chamber of Commerce 24 hours a day throughout the year, plus receive the Chamber of Commerce weekly E-Newsletter featuring current events, hot topics and member news.
Receive the complete annual Membership Directory and Resource Guide, as well as many other Chamber publications that will keep your business on top of the most important issues and information for our region.

Are you a Business Builder?
If so, then you and your business seek to grow your company by participating in the many networking opportunities offered by the Chamber of Commerce and connecting with other business members to gain visibility, enhance your knowledge, and build your customer base. You and your employees can:

Attend over 30 networking events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce throughout the year.
Attend special joint business events with key regional partners.
Participate in members-only Chamber of Commerce Business Development Groups.
Receive preferred business referrals.
Have access to Chamber of Commerce member mailing lists and targeted business queries.
Have access to advertising and promotional opportunities across a suite of Chamber of Commerce communications products.
Participate in business and event-based sponsorship opportunities.