Narragansett Chamber of Commerce
| Jan 25, 2013
The Narragansett Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in 1925 and is fast approaching its 90th anniversary. The mission statement has not changed much over the years, and was last amended in 2004 reinforcing the basic premise that the chamber is organized for the purpose of advancing the commercial, recreational, civic and general interests of the Town of Narragansett, Washington County and the State of Rhode Island.
The Board of Directors, chaired by Pier Fuel owner Kevin Mulholland, has embraced the mission and has created a wide range of programs and partnerships to serve the business community and residents alike. Narragansett Chamber of Commerce has 4 major committees: Government Affairs, Public Relations, Events and Membership. Each committee is chaired by a sitting board member and made up of current board members and representatives from the general chamber membership. Programs and benefits of membership include energy buying, health insurance, credit card processing, low cost advertising, networking and member referrals.
The membership of the Narragansett Chamber reflects the diverse business climate in South County. Retail, food service, education, fishing and related industries, construction, travel & tourism, recreation, financial & business services as well as many other business categories are represented within the membership base. Geographical diversity is also evident as members are located in all corners of the state and beyond. The reasons for the diversity are attributed to the unique philosophy and also the strategic physical location of the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce Information & Visitor Center.
The philosophy of the Narragansett Chamber is that public / private partnerships and cooperation is of great importance because the pristine coastal ecology and the importance of protecting and maintaining it, as well as the promotion of the area drive the local economy. In plain talk: The businesses in Southern RI need the beaches and local historical sites to be preserved and well maintained along with a favorable business climate in order to thrive. The Chamber has always had an open dialog with the Town of Narragansett and the Sate of RI. We pride ourselves on our ability to have formal and informal, open and honest discussions with local and state officials. The importance of advocating for best business practices is high on our priority list.
The Narragansett Information & Visitor Center is managed by the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce and is a very busy place. Located in the iconic Towers on Ocean Rd, adjacent to the Narragansett Town Beach, the center’s front door opens onto one of RI’s Award Winning Best Free Attractions: The Narragansett Sea Wall. Thousands of tourists and area residents stop in to ask “What’s Happening?” The information center is busy all year fielding requests, via email and phone, from people seeking recommendations for all services. Our member directory and visitor guide is picked up in person, direct mailed and downloaded via our website to thousands of people each year. The directory offers valuable advertising opportunities for Narragansett Chamber members. Member brochures, maps and event guides are picked up by the hundreds each day. Area restaurant menus (hard for us to keep in stock) are particularly popular with residents and visitors.
Our annual Narragansett Area Restaurant Week has become a much anticipated event. This year it is scheduled for March 1 – 10, 2013. Only Narragansett Chamber member restaurants are invited to participate. The Chamber promotes the event in local and regional publications and provides links to restaurant week menus through the chamber website. This yearly event allows participants to set their own menu and pricing as we believe that one size does not fit all in the food service industry. Area diners are seduced by the delicious offerings and special pricing. The member restaurants appreciate the exposure during the off-season.
Other major events include the annual Golf Tournament in early June, the wildly popular Summers End Festival in late September on Narragansett Town Beach and the Jingle Bell 5k and 1 Mile walk as part of the Town’s Festival of Lights.
2012 was the inaugural season of our satellite information booth on Narragansett Town Beach. We believed that we were missing an opportunity to promote the area to the daily beach goer. A partnership was formed with the Pier Marketplace Merchants Association to help offset the cost of staffing the booth. The Town of Narragansett Parks & Recreation Department embraced the idea of the booth on the beach and the Town Council sanctioned it. The beach information booth was very well received and we are proud to be bringing it back for 2013.
Narragansett Chamber of Commerce is a proud member of the United Chambers of Southern RI. The alliance is made up of the Block Island, Charlestown, Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area, Narragansett and North Kingstown Chambers of
Commerce. The UCRI promotes each other’s events, offers their membership reciprocal networking and advertising benefits and shares best practices.
Membership dues are based on a sliding scale. Some examples are: $45/year for interested individuals (no company affiliation), $100/year for any business who is a member of any other RI Chamber of Commerce, $150/year for businesses with 5 or fewer employees and $275 for a Bed & Breakfast. Please contact us for more information.
Narragansett Chamber office is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 5pm Saturday from 9am until 3pm
Sunday from Noon until 4pm
36 Ocean Road
PO Box 742
Narragansett, RI 02882 401-783-7121 www.narragansettcoc.com dkelso@narragansettcoc.com.
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