EAST GREENWICH – The North Kingstown and East Greenwich Chambers of Commerce have abandoned plans to merge.
The two chambers had announced plans to merge in November, saying a joint effort could bring cost savings and eliminate overlap.
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But in a joint letter released last week and signed by the chairmen of both chambers, the organizations said a review process found that “a merger, at this time, would not bring the anticipated benefits to our members.”
“Both chambers will continue to work together on projects and programs as in the past. However, we have discontinued merger discussions,” wrote Jeff Swallow, chairman of the North Kingstown Chamber, and Bob Hartmann, chairman of the East Greenwich Chamber. They also said a confidentiality agreement limited how much they could reveal about the process.
The decision not to merge comes at a difficult time for Chambers of Commerce, as businesses close down or scale back their spending on professional organizations.
In November, Keith Stokes, then the executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce and now executive director of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, said chambers were experiencing many of the small financial issues being felt by private businesses. As a result, Stokes said, chambers were actively seeking to hold the line.
“I think what we’re all trying to do is hold the line,” he said at the time.
Additional information is available at northkingstown.com and eastgreenwichchamber.com.
