EVERETT — The Everett City Council voted 6-0 on Wednesday to bring back an Everett Chamber of Commerce after a 13-year absence.
With the vote, the city will hire a consultant, develop a plan with the help of business owners, before forming the nonprofit that will become the Everett Chamber of Commerce.
Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin called the decision a win for the city.
“Re-launching the Everett Chamber of Commerce is an important step forward in providing more support to businesses of all sizes, encourage business networking and advocacy and promote economic development,” Franklin said in a statement Thursday. “Impactful investments like this will pay dividends in the near future- strengthening our local economy and helping the City’s long-term financial sustainability.”
Tyler Chism, economic development manager for the city, said the chamber will be a valuable resource for Everett’s businesses, stimulate the city’s economic growth, and generate revenue for the city in boosting tourism.
City administration proposed the project in June, citing calls by the Everett businesses for more centralized, locally tailored support for the “underserved” small business community.
City staff originally requested $500,000 but increased the amount to $600,000 after speaking to other local chambers, Chism said.
The funds come from the remaining $2 million of the $20.6 million granted to the city by the American Rescue Plan Act.
The money will be dispersed over several years until the chamber is self-sufficient, funded by membership fees and other revenue sources.
Linnea Covington and her husband, Chris Covington, own Port Gardner Bay Winery and Structural Design Associates, both Everett businesses. She said the chamber will be a boon for business owners.
“I’m excited about this,” she said. “There is a lot of need, so hopefully things will get better.”
In 2011, the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce voted to merge with two other regional chambers to become what is now the Economic Alliance Snohomish County. While they serve businesses throughout the county, including Everett, Covington said many small businesses will benefit from a local touch.
“They’re for the big boys and they’re expensive,” Covington said. “I think there’s just a real need for small businesses to have some input.”
Everett is one of the only cities in Snohomish County without its own Chamber of Commerce. Chism said this has put Everett businesses at a disadvantage.
“Everett risks falling behind in attracting and retaining business,” he said at the council meeting in June. “Frankly, I think it’s unfair to our local businesses that we don’t have a chamber.”
Linnea Covington agreed.
“It’s just shocking that we don’t have a chamber for a city our size, where other chambers locally are doing very well,” she said.
Organizers plan to launch the chamber in 2025, to be self-supported by 2028.
Connor Zamora: 425-339-3037; connor.zamora@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @cgzamora02.
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