This week, it was announced that talks were underway for a possible merger between the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
Leaders from both groups say this move could offer their members more advantages.
I spoke with Christine Barney, chair of Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, about the reasons for a merger. But we started with, will there be any cons to this move?
Well first and foremost, both of us -- the greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce -- are member organizations and everything that we do is to benefit our members. And when we looked at what our members are seeking to get from a business organization like ours, they're looking for a value proposition that not only helps them grow their business but better operate in the South Florida community and working together regionally. We believe that that would be better for our members because we will have more clout for the business community and will be able to have a greater impact.
Are there any cons?
I think, you know, the one con that we're both very aware of is making sure that while there are several regional issues that impact us there are also some very unique specific issues that each chamber addresses. And in any merger we would have to ensure that both chambers retain the ability to address the local challenges just as strongly as they do now.
What have you heard so far from your members or the Fort Lauderdale members? Has anyone jumped up and spoken out against it?
I have had 100 percent support from the many, many emails that we have gotten, and I think that goes back to two things; one is that everyone is looking for ways to be efficient. And when you think about the overlap, you know we have a sea-level-rise event and they have a sea-level-rise event. I think members are very excited at the idea that we can reduce overlap and increase impact. And at this point, as I said, we're just exploring that merger and everyone thinks that it's worth pursuing.
Have you seen this anywhere else? Is this something that is kind of being considered in other cities around the country or just chambers deciding to come together?
Well, I think that as much as it might be chambers coming together there is definitely an opportunity or there is definitely a role model in other marketplaces or counties that have come together. So, for example, in Houston the Houston partnership represents 11 different counties and groups who have come together. The St. Louis regional chamber is in 16 counties in Missouri and Illinois. So there are definitely role models that we have to say how can you bring together the needs of multiple counties. And, in fact, I thought it was very interesting that one of the Central Florida newspapers commented on our potential merger in a very positive way saying how exciting that South Florida seems to be doing what we up here are not.
You're still in the early stages of this. What has to happen for it to be completed and do you have a timetable?
We wanted to be completely transparent and that's why we felt that it was important to let our members know that we were exploring this opportunity so they can participate in the due diligence and the dialogue that's going to happen. We are forming a task force, a joint task force, to explore the areas of operational efficiency, structure, the value proposition and some of the other issues in terms of how we both work with government affairs. And the goal is that we will conduct this research over the next several months and have an answer as to whether or not we are proceeding or not by the end of this year.
