Featured Chamber: East Bay Chamber of Commerce

In 1958 the Warren Chamber of Commerce was incorporated.  At that time the towns of Barrington and Bristol each had their own Chamber of Commerce.  In 1972 our Chamber was organized and incorporated when the Bristol, Warren and Barrington Chambers merged to become the Bristol County Chamber of Commerce.  In 1998 the name was changed to the East Bay Chamber of Commerce to reflect our wider vision, covering the towns of Barrington, Bristol and Warren and surrounding areas.  Emerging from three small retail groups, our Chamber has grown in size and programming to meet the needs of our business community and to be proactive in the concerns of our businesses as well as the communities we serve.

Our mission is to promote business as the foundation for community growth and well-being by being the most reliable resource and leading advocate for businesses throughout the East Bay and surrounding areas.

We have many benefits for our members to take advantage of.  Group health insurance, dental insurance, complimentary use of the Chamber’s Community Room, and complimentary Notary Public services are just the beginning.  We also offer Member-2-Member discounts, which encourages our members and their employees to purchase the products and services of our local member businesses.

We maintain partnerships with several other organizations in the community.  Our members benefit from our cooperation with the East Bay Chamber Foundation, Mt. Hope Economic Development Corporation, Bristol/Warren Regional School District, RI Small Business Development Center, RI Chambers Health Care Coalition, RI Economic Development Corporation, RI Chambers Legislative Coalition, Workforce Partnerships of Greater RI, U.S. Small Business Administration, Roger Williams University’s Gabelli School of Business and Johnson & Wales University.  We have also formed partnerships with Discover Warren, Barrington Business Association, Bristol Merchants Association and Explore Bristol.

There are also marketing opportunities for our members.  Only members have the privilege of submitting their flyers for insertion in our quarterly flyer mailing.  All inquiries for referrals that come into our office are given exclusively to Chamber members.  Our Chamber website and Tuesdays at 2 email blast also has advertising opportunities for our members.

The East Bay Chamber holds many events that serve as networking opportunities for our members.  Our monthly Business 2 Business Networking events are routinely attended by 60 or more members.

We also have three committees that our members can get involved in.  Our Business and Community Relations Committee’s mission is to offer educational seminars and marketing opportunities for Chamber members to help in their continuation of business success.  Through this committee we co-sponsor the four day Student Orientation and Merchant Fair at Roger Williams University with the Bristol Merchants Association; Women in Business seminar series; monthly Business 2 Business networking events; seminar series for specific industries; quarterly informational breakfast meetings; summer food drive; cell phone collection for domestic violence victims; and electronic waste and paper shredding days.

Our Government Affairs Committee is the voice to our local, state and federal legislators.  When warranted and supported by our Board of Directors, the Chamber will take an active political stand on issues that are important and that affect the majority of our businesses and our community at large.

Our Membership Development Committee creates and implements incentive based discount programs for our members.

Our Events Committee plans all of our events that members are invited to participate in.

We’re excited about a new incentive for new members that join the East Bay Chamber.  We have a drawing each month for one of our new members to be featured on the Rhode Show on Fox Providence.  This is a $1,000 advertising value!  One of our new members featured on the Rhode Show is called Revival, at 227 Thames Street, Bristol.  This gift shop is unique in that all profits go to establishing and supporting Grace & Hope Place, a long-term substance abuse program for women and their children to be established in Southeastern New England.

There are also many more benefits to being a member of the East Bay Chamber that we don’t have room to list here.  We welcome any business interested in becoming a member of our Chamber to give us a call.  And remember to shop local – support small businesses.

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