Chamber office moving to Steele Building

By Crystal Burns

The Greater Gibson County Area Chamber of Commerce will be operating in a new office space beginning Aug. 1.

The chamber is moving from its current location on Court Square in Trenton to the nearby Steele Building on South College Street. Libby Wickersham, the executive director, made the announcement to chamber members last week in her weekly newsletter.

“As you all know, the last few months have brought a financial hardship, and the chamber was not immune to this,” Wickersham said in an email to members. “Although we love our current location, we are excited to have the opportunity to move to this newly renovated space while also making the best financial decision for the chamber.”

Wickersham said the chamber’s board of directors voted to move to the Steele Building, which still offers high visibility. The chamber will occupy a suite of three offices in the front of the building and will have access to a large conference room and kitchen area.

“We can more easily host events there,” Wickersham said.

Hosting events is key to the chamber’s success. Wickersham noted that every non-dues fundraiser the chamber had planned for 2020 has been canceled or postponed. Chamber leaders are still hoping they will be able to have the annual golf outing, which has been rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 11.

“The chamber does not survive on membership dues alone,” Wickersham said. “We had to make some tough financial decisions. If every business in the towns that we service were members of the chamber, we would not have to rely so much on the revenue we generate from events.  Unfortunately, there are as many, if not more, businesses that do not support the chamber as there are those who do.”

The chamber’s current office, located at 111 W. Eaton St. is for sale, and chamber leaders believe the building is a good investment for the right buyer.

The chamber is selling items that cannot be moved to the new location on S. College St. Stop by the current office during normal business hours through Friday, July 31 for the sale. For more information, contact the chamber at 731-855-0973.