After years of absence, gears are in motion to reestablish the Camp Verde Chamber of Commerce.
Chambers of commerce function by focusing on winning the long game rather than short-term victories. Businesses and members who contribute on Monday may not see an immediate dollar-for-dollar return on Friday, but a few weeks down the road, see bigger returns and an overall boost making narrow, myopic examinations of finances hard to justify. Instead, member businesses and communities note that as a chamber grows and spends more to boost the local economy, bring in visitors and share networking with members, overall numbers show a dramatic return in investment.
Well-run chambers and supportive communities can earn their members a strong return on investment, such as in nearby Sedona where some businesses report a return of 600 percent, i.e., for $1 given to the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, a business see $6 return from new and returning customers due to that chamber’s marketing efforts.
There is absolutely no reason why the reinvigorated Camp Verde Chamber of Commerce can’t see similar levels of return if businesses in town get behind it. Camp Verde has the draw of Fort Verde, festivals that can attract tourists from the Phoenix area, the appeal of an easy-to-walk downtown area and the distinction of being one of the oldest communities in the Verde Valley, all of which businesses should encourage the chamber to vigorously promote.
Camp Verde also has nearby Montezuma Castle, Montezuma Well and Cliff Castle Casino that already draw tens of thousands of visitors every year. The chamber should actively encourage these visitors to spend a few extra hours in Camp Verde.
Sedona brings in millions of tourists every year, and many are eager to explore. The Camp Verde chamber could work with the Sedona chamber to encourage tourists to turn their visits into multi-day stays in both communities instead of just a single-day trip to the Sedona area.
Chambers also help businesses network among each other. Local restaurants can develop partnerships with hotels and motels, recreation companies and so on.
Greater business activity means local companies can hire more employees, offer better paying jobs, generate more tax income for the town to increase services and fund projects, all of which improve the standard of living for residents of the town as a whole.
How the Camp Verde Chamber of Commerce chooses to develop will be up to those businesses who join now, at the beginning. Having survived the Great Recession and with the state and national economy experiencing growth, residents and local businesses should learn to work together to improve Camp Verde.
Learn more by visiting CampVerdeChamber.com or by contacting the chamber at Info@CampVerdeChamber.com or (928) 379-9934.
