Let's be serious. How many Greater New Bedford or New Bedford area residents, give a flying hoot if the local chamber of commerce changes its name? Wow, I can hear a pin drop, or was that two pins! One Standard Times editorial writer thinks the time has come. Remember that newspaper helped coin the term "South Coast." They call their online edition, South Coast Today.

Columnist Jack Spillane writes "it makes all the sense in the world," for the New Bedford Area Chamber to rename itself the South Coast Chamber of Commerce. Spillane cites Wareham folks definitely think of themselves as Southcoasters. Really Jack? Wareham residents have  told me they think of their area as the Cape. Spillane views the possible name change as a lure for grabbing fresh blood from the swelling Wareham business community to establish a larger, rebranded chamber.

Peter Kortright sat on the Board of the Fall River Chamber back when that body last belched out a unanimous "No" to merging with New Bedford. While tentative on the exact reasons why, Kortright acknowledges that New Bedford is centrally-located for a South Coast name change. He also emphatically states the chamber, under whatever name, has to first "define ways to be relevant." 

Wareham is nestled contiguous to Cape Cod Canal. There's a regional Chamber there. Wareham businesses don't flock to it, because there's no bang for their buck. If you don't know the Cape Cod Canal Regional Chamber by name, it's because they are struggling for relevancy. The lesson for Rick Kidder and company: First, fortify your chamber to make people want to join. Changing your name alone from New Bedford to South Coast isn't enough chum to make regional business owners bite.

This will be a tough nut to crack for the New Bedford Chamber. The life-blood of all chambers, its members, are sucked dry on time. The leeches are longer work days and extra curricular, formal after school activities involving their children. If mommy or daddy is dashing off early to runny eggs at a business breakfast, if families can't break bread over dinner, when do you suggest they pencil in semi-productive chamber time?

Store front business operators don't give a rat's ... what your name is. They are desperate for revenue growth. These busy bodies have bills to pay, employees to consider and families to feed. Job 1 for the chamber is to help their members survive and thrive. Get out and fight Beacon Hill lawmakers for serious tax cuts and to reduce needless, burdensome, costly and time-consuming regulations.

Here's another vitally important road the chamber must better navigate. Become more family friendly. If mixers are a tremendous social "get to know you" tool, imagine extending these functions to regular Saturday family fun events. The emphasis here is on regular. Six times a year, yes every other month, the chamber needs to host:

  1. Variety shows
  2. Movie-video nights
  3. Dances
  4. Potluck suppers
  5. Play Cashflow and Cashflow for Kids 

Six times a year you've helped chamber members with a never ending family-work related issue. Think about it. By having kids mingle with entrepreneurial adults, the youngin' inhale life-changing business skills. What a genuine way for the chamber to expand--under whatever name. As Kortright correctly states the chamber needs to "define ways to be relevant!" In this day and age what is more relevant than family and business?

Brian Thomas is the host of Brian's Beat, Monday-Friday, from 10:00 AM-Noon 

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