Aurora Regional Chamber is strong, unifying force
How can one individual or one business speak with the power of nearly 600 voices? By teaming up with one of the region's most powerful business forces, the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The Aurora Regional Chamber is made up of nearly 600 businesses across four counties (DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will) with diverse backgrounds - from independent contractors, entrepreneurs, small businesses and large corporations, to family-, minority- and women-owned businesses.
United, the chamber becomes a single, unifying force with the power to shape the future of the Aurora region.
Through the years
The chamber has a long, rich history dating back more than 110 years, with 1956 proving to be a pivotal year. Even back then, the chamber had the foresight and an innovative mindset to expand to serve the greater Aurora region.
In the 1980s, we expanded again, this time to include a committee focused on increasing area tourism - a forerunner to today's Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. We also partnered with the city of Aurora to create the Aurora Economic Development Commission, which would evolve into present day Invest Aurora.
Throughout our history, we've always kept a focus on innovation, and today one of our core values is to "Innovate Always. Never Stop Learning." This desire for excellence and growth is showcased by the 5-star accreditation we received from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2012. It's a distinction achieved by only 1% of U.S. chambers, and the designation was renewed in 2017 and continues today.
In 2015, we were recognized as the Illinois Outstanding Chamber of the Year by the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
Business support
The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for individuals and businesses, and we took this as an opportunity to adapt and innovate to serve and support our member businesses in new ways.
We partnered to provide webinars on topics such as understanding the CARES Act, PPP loan forgiveness, understanding the Family First Coronavirus Response Act, returning workers to the workplace, and selling during COVID-19.
Being agile allowed us to seamlessly transition our Certificates of Origin and Resale program for exporters from in-person to online. Our new, on-demand program has resulted in an increase in safety (no face-to-face transactions), and time savings and smooth operations for our manufacturing members.
Our efforts have included business solutions for more than just COVID-19.
Following the civil unrest that occurred in Aurora, we joined hundreds of community members to clean up downtown. Seeing the hardship on businesses already struggling, we knew we could do more. We partnered with the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber, Invest Aurora, and the Quad County African American Chamber to create the Restore Aurora program to aide businesses damaged during the civil unrest.
Regional reopening
Whether a business was closed from physical damage or the pandemic, reopening was the goal. With the roll out of the governor's Restore Illinois plan and Illinois' shift from Phase 3 to Phase 4, we focused on helping businesses reopen and jump-starting the economy.
As a trusted business resource, we created the "Regional Reopening Roadmap" in partnership with Invest Aurora. Brought to our members by Waubonsee Community College, the road map provided businesses across industries a how-to for putting key COVID-19 reopening guidelines into practice.
The reopening guidelines came directly from public health officials with input from businesses. A series of 10 virtual industry roundtable discussions were conducted to hear business needs and concerns. Additionally, nearly 500 businesses responded to a survey about challenges related to the pandemic and reopening.
Into the future
With more than 100 years of history, the Aurora Regional Chamber has its sights set on the next 100 years of prosperity.
In June 2020, we rebranded our logo to reflect a more modern design that better reflects today's digital world.
As a convener of leaders and champions, we provide solutions to complex problems and serve to be the voice of and the catalyst for business success in our region for years to come.