The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce has earned a reputation as a dynamic organization that delivers results.  We have approximately 800 members from throughout southern Rhode Island and southeastern CT.  “Our top priority is your bottom line” is our slogan and it speaks volumes about our philosophy to help you succeed.  Simply put, we are an organization whose entire program of work centers around helping our members make money and save money.  We are tireless in our efforts to support and advance the business community and promote tourism in the two state regions we serve.

The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce provides a plethora of benefits to our members, with a distinct focus on those that provide tangible results.  We realize that if businesses can measure the value of their membership, they will certainly renew each year.  To that end, we continually strive to manage programs and promotions that bring new customers to their doors, and new revenues to their bank accounts.

Consider our gift certificate program.  This one program generates over $260,000 each year for our members.  That money is generated by our marketing efforts, kept within our community, and benefits many businesses in the Chamber family.  Each business that participates can easily track the amount they make from our efforts engaging the public to support the local economy through this program.  We are very proud that this is the largest, most successful gift certificate program run by a Chamber of Commerce in all of New England.

The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce had numerous successes over the last year.  We remain the largest Chamber of the 7 Chambers of Commerce located in southern Rhode Island.  We were the only RI community to engage voters in a heated contest to win the Benjamin Moore “Main Street Matters” painting contest.  As a result of our success in winning, Westerly will enjoy a complete, complimentary makeover of our downtown business district this spring.  When Superstorm Sandy hit and threatened 500 jobs and the future of our entire local economy, we responded with a force that was just as strong.  We rallied the community and raised an incredible $428,000.  We gave those funds to businesses at Misquamicut Beach to help them with the many expenses not covered by insurance.  When Memorial Day weekend came, our shoreline was repaired, renewed, and ready to welcome tourists again.

The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce makes many other investments in businesses and in our community.  In the last year alone, we have distributed over $7,000 in grants to downtown businesses as part of our Façade Improvement Program.  By leveraging public and private funds, we are able to enhance the aesthetics of our downtown business district and provide funds to businesses making improvements.  We also fund bike racks, flower pots, wayfinding signs and even own our own billboard to showcase our members.  We will continue to be responsive to the needs of our community, to be creative with our ideas, and to collaborate with others to advance our economic development initiatives going forward.

Encouraging new business development and fostering the expansion of our existing businesses base is the core of our everyday efforts.  The Chamber’s business assistance services extend far beyond ribbon cuttings and press releases, as we provide customized marketing guidance and support to help businesses realize their goals and attain new successes. Networking opportunities are numerous through our monthly Business After Hours and our Young Professionals Network.  We offer excellent exposure opportunities through our 3 publications and website.

Our large-scale special events such as River Glow, Virtu Art Festival and the Pawcatuck River Duck Race draw thousands to our community and generate significant sales for a broad cross section of businesses.  Our Restaurant Week promotion and Go Westerly Magazine also generate sales and increase visibility for our members.  We believe these are just some of the reasons why our membership renewal rate was 96% this year, a strong indicator of our effectiveness.

On the state level, The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce is a partner in the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce Coalition, which speaks collectively with the voice of over 7,000 Rhode Island businesses. Through this effective coalition, we keep our members informed, educate them on the issues and help defeat many pieces of bad legislation that would have adversely affected our members.

We are proud of our accomplishments over the past year and confidently face the challenges ahead.  We invite you to join our organization and be a part of the positive momentum. To learn more about the Greater Westerly Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce, and how we can help you, visit us online at www.westerlychamber.org.

New Members:
Westerly Car Wash
The Sea Goose Grill & Raw Bar
Mary D’s Antiques
Successwatchers.net
Riverwalk Condominium Association of Stonington
Walgreens
Sunnyside Up
Ambit Energy

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