The Greater Montrose Chamber of Commerce held its annual Business Expo last week at the Montrose Pavilion, and it was the most well-attended yet.

But that isn’t just a testament to the event itself, which saw  hundreds connect with local businesses; it’s also a testament to the Chamber as a whole.

Some may not realize it, but the Greater Montrose Chamber of Commerce was launched in 2020. The organization is less than four years old.

The story starts before than. More than 130 years ago, the Montrose Chamber of Commerce started. It operated through WWII, the Cold War and countless other historic events. Then, in 2019, the organization dissolved after struggling to offer value to its members and establish position in the communtiy, according to then-Montrose Director of Business Innovation Chelsea Rosty.

But that left a void, and several Montrose business leaders stepped in with hopes of filling that void.

At the forefront of those efforts was Tonya Maddox, the founding president of the organization. (Tonya Maddox also owns the Montrose Business Times and marketing company Our Town Matters.)

“When the original chamber dissolved after 130 years, we saw a gap. We saw a hole, and there was there was no advocacy and no camaraderie — nothing to bring businesses together, and specifically small businesses,” Maddox said, looking back on the beginnings of the organization. “And so when the greater Montrose Chamber of Commerce board originally got together, the goal was to fill that gap.”

The original board members consisted of local business owners and business leaders. There were 12 members at the very beginning.

Today, there are 115 members. But that’s not necessarily a surprise.

“We got a warm reception that was engaged and interested in a Chamber,” Maddox said. “There was some pause from some people who wondered whether it would be part of a municipality or another organization. But when we told them it was a member-run, board-run entitity, then I think that’s when the reception got even warmer.”

Jaimee Carnes is now serving on the board. She is with ElderAdo Financial and just took her seat as president. She remembers a lot of buy-in at the beginning.

“We had people trying to offer us space and more,” Carnes said. “There was a lot of excitement, and I think that kind of reinforced that we were doing something good.”

There were countless anecdotal examples of people offering to help. One such example was Ed DeJulio, owner of Flairmont Furniture. He offered right off the bat to write a check in support of the organization.

But the organization is no longer in its infancy. It has grown into an organization that is self-sustaining, and now they are looking to fine-tune and tweak things as they continue to grow.

“We have seen a lot of growth and have seen a lot of traction,” Carnes said. “With that growth, we are trying to collaborate with other groups to offer more benefits to members.”

The Greater Montrose Chamber has worked to build partnerships with the Development and Revitalization Team (DART) and Region 10, a local business cultivator.

That’s a change from when Maddox was president in the first year. She just hoped to keep the Chamber relevant to its members and grow to a point where the organization could run smoothly.

Early on they offered value by partnering with DMEA/Elevate. And all members of the Chamber get 20% off their Elevate internet business account.

For some, that pretty much covers the yearly membership fee with the Greater Montrose Chamber of Commerce.

Today, the group is seeing a lot of success with its Business After Hours events, which are packed with people looking to network lately.

“For me, (networking) is vital,” said Carnes. “I know every business is different, but a lot of business, especially in Montrose is driven by word-of-mouth, referrals, and knowing people. Montrose is very community-oriented, and if you’re not active in the community, people are going to be a little skeptical about doing business with you.”

One board member recently said his first networking event connected him with around $2,700 in business.

Looking ahead, with all the recent growth and traction, the organization aims to keep growing but in a way that ensures the Chamber can stay successful.

The board is looking at adding more board members to freshen perspective and get different outlooks. They also have the goal of staying diverse as far as background and business demographics go.

And in today’s digital world. they want to be sure they are able to connect with other members online as well as in person because they believe that’s the best way to stay relevant. Both Maddox and Carnes believe the future of Montrose business is bright.

“I am super excited about the diversity of Montrose businesses. The onset of the remote worker that we are seeing — that growth here is unbelievable, and it’s young and fresh, and they are excited to get out,” Maddox said. “And then you have your brick and mortar, the 30-year-old retail stores, Camelot Gardens, the 45-year-old manufacturing companies like TEI — they are all a part of this extraordinary organization and this symbiotic relationship that we all have in Montrose.”

Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.