A dozen years ago, there were two separate chambers of commerce in Montgomery County -- the Blacksburg Chamber of Commerce (BCC), and the Christiansburg & Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (CMCC). After a couple of failed votes to merge these two organizations, a successful vote subsequently occurred and effective March 2003 a new, combined Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce was formed.
At about that same time, a Blacksburg Partnership was also formed, having a mission similar to the former Blacksburg chamber. Some say this is akin to the First National Bank merger to Stellar One, with a resulting New River Bank (operating under the charter of HomeTown Bank, which was birthed after another bank merger). This is seen as a possible response by those who opposed the initial mergers, and doing something about it.
The merged chamber had a home at the centrally located NRV mall for a few years, then moved just inside the borders of Blacksburg. It's still seeking a permanent residence.
Yet, a dozen years ago the President and CEO of the CMCC wrote "There is no doubt Montgomery County stands at a crossroads with regard to development and its future. The struggle to preserve its assets, which each of us as residents cherish, does not come without some form of compromise...To make good, informed decisions there must be cooperation between the many communities that are stakeholders in the New River Valley."
Taking one's toys and going home doesn't look like compromise. "Without addressing the issue of change and resolving the conflicts that come with it, we are shirking our responsibilities to leave a better place for those who follow," still rings true as an issue for the current leadership in Montgomery County.
"This means that we have to build consensus at all levels; community, town, county and regional. This also means we need to plan and coordinate efforts on a larger scale." The president's letter went on to state the chamber continued to grow each year, and reevaluated services provided to members while noting it served as a vehicle for the business community.
And a diverse, healthy business community does provide good employment and amenities for residents and tax revenues for local government. One industry found in a solid economic foundation is tourism. Statewide or nationally, it is often the local chamber's particular area of expertise and activity.
With a leadership change now in process at today's merged chamber, and local governments' already having started rewriting contracts or nixing regional tourism initiatives across their physical and fiscal boundaries -- ask yourself whether anything has changed over the past 12 years, or are the problems simply larger?