‘Where business meets community’

MACOMB COUNTY — After several years in the making, the Eastpointe-Roseville Chamber of Commerce has a new name.

On May 12, the organization officially became the Eastside Community Chamber. Members of the chamber felt a name change was needed to bring a more regional continuity to the organization and the businesses it represents. “Where business meets community” is its motto.

The chamber includes businesses from Eastpointe, Roseville, Fraser, Warren, St. Clair Shores, Mount Clemens and Clinton Township. The chamber supports the interests of businesses through networking, community relations and building relationships with local government, schools and residents. Currently, there are 247 members in the chamber. Memberships are renewed once a year. A membership directory comes out once a year.

“We do donate money to some of our nonprofits and schools and government activities. We work with them as far as helping with email blasts and different things to get the word out about their business,” said Dr. Chris Dyki, who is the chamber president.

“We pretty much work with anybody and anyone that wants to join,” Executive Director Linda Weishaupt said. “We do work with the government, the cities and the schools for their benefit, too. Our communities are more focused on small business. The person who is diving in and trying to start a business, the chamber tries to assist them with business plans and things they haven’t thought about.”

“We do seem to have a lot of small businesses, but we also have some large businesses. Sam’s Club has been very supportive of a lot of the efforts in our communities,” said Fraser Mayor Michael Lesich, who is the chamber vice president. “I think shopping locally helps support your local community, especially with our chamber. By buying locally you are supporting a small business that in turn is supporting organizations in your community.”

One component of the Eastside Community Chamber is making people feel welcome. For instance, members hold ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new businesses in the chamber.

“When we have a new fire chief, a new school superintendent, a new police chief and so forth, we always have a new meeting that introduces them to the business community,” Weishaupt said. “We also do ‘welcome bags.’ We drop them off at the city halls and they pass them out to new residents that come in to assessing with their paperwork when they’re purchasing a new home. Those go fast.”

The Eastside Community Chamber also holds a coffee hour once a month at various locations, which gives members and nonmembers a chance to connect. There is usually a guest speaker. Chamber members attend for free; the cost is $5 for nonmembers.

One example of that was the Narcan training held May 19 at CARE of Southeastern Michigan in Roseville. According to Weishaupt, Eastpointe Community Schools sent several employees to the training.

The chamber board of directors also holds occasional fundraisers that in turn go back into the businesses they serve. One highlight is the Deck the Halls fundraiser every November that usually sells out.

The chamber-sponsored Salute to Excellence award dinner in which Roseville and Eastpointe students, organizations, businesses and first responders are honored is held every fall. Fraser also has a similar event known as Fraser Academy Member of Excellence in the spring.

Lesich looks forward to the new direction that the name change will bring.

“What the chamber has really allowed me to do is meet people from Eastpointe and Roseville city government. Going to these events, I have met so many people that work at these places, I talk to them and it really has helped me connect with them,” Lesich said. “Any kind of networking within our local communities can only be better. We can cross borders and work together. That’s a good thing.”

Dyki enjoys being involved with the new Eastside Community Chamber.

“I think it’s important where you hang your shingle, where you work to support the businesses in the area as well as the residents,” Dyki said. “You want to make it the best place it can be.”

The first local chamber of commerce dates back to 1922. It has had different names over the years. Weishaupt believes First State Bank is one of the earliest members.

The Eastside Community Chamber’s office is located at 24840 Gratiot Ave., Suite C, in Eastpointe. For more information, call (586) 776-5520 or visit eastsidecommunitychamber.org.