The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce has installed a new sign along the Information Superhighway, bearing the name: “Rhode Island Chamber of Business and Industry.”
James G. Hagan, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber is unveiling a new name — and keeping the old one.
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“We have repositioned the Chamber as a statewide organization with a statewide mission and vision,” said Hagan. “By establishing an umbrella organization, we will be better positioned in the on-line world.”
As it is now, said Hagan, the Chamber’s Web site records at least 45,000 hits per month. The new name, he said, should command even greater attention from a national and international audience.
“The term Rhode Island is more searchable than Providence,” he said.
That doesn’t mean, said Hagan, that the name “Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce” becomes a thing of the past. It will remain — meaning that the organization will answer to both monikers.
“The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is a very strong franchise – it has been for 133 years, and will be for another 133 years,” said Hagan.
But on a local level, will the new name — the new identity – ruffle the feathers of other Chamber of Commerce and tourism organizations throughout Rhode Island? After all, hasn’t there long been a certain competitive tension from places like South County, Northern Rhode Island, Newport and other corners of the state that are also grappling for tourist dollars?
Hagan doesn’t think so.
“I see no conflictthere is no competition, particularly with Newport and South County,” he said. “We would never suggest a company not belong to its local Chamber. We want them to belong to their local Chamber first, and then consider us.”
In Newport, Keith W. Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, doesn’t see the Providence Chamber’s new identity as any kind of threat. In, fact, he thinks it’s a good idea.
“I have the utmost respect for Jim Hagan,” said Stokes. “They have always reached out to us on projects of mutual concern, particularly in terms of access to the legislature. In fact, when it comes to legislative issues, Jim is the first person I call.
From a business point of view, I think they are making a smart move.”
If there is any tension between different Chamber organizations, said Stokes, “it hasn’t come from members of the business communities.”
Ann O’Neill, president of the South County Tourism Council, has never been shy when it comes to lobbying on behalf of South County and has at times pointed out instances where she believed the southern half of Rhode Island was not being fairly represented on certain tourism boards. But as for the creation of the Rhode Island Chamber of Business and Industry, O’Neill is all for it.
“From a business and industry sense, this is something they have been trying to come up with for years,” she said. “When you’re trying to attract businessyou do it as a region. If this makes it easier for people to find them — it makes sense.”
John C. Gregory, president of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, points out that his organization has its roots in a merger of the Woonsocket Chamber of Commerce and the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce a decade ago. Gregory too, believes a more regionalized approach makes sense and does not expect an increase in competition between one Chamber and another.
“We worked with them as the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce — and we’ll work with them as the Rhode Island Chamber of Business and Industry,” said Gregory.”
In making a case for the new name and broader scope, Hagan asserts that some 62 percent of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce’s 3,400 member businesses are from outside the capital city. Among those businesses are Fidelity Investments; American Power Conversion; CVS Corp.; Toray Plastics; and Metropolitan Life.
Hagan adds that the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce has many affiliate members with a statewide reach, including Options for Working Parents; the Rhode Island Retail Federation; and the Rhode Island Sports Council. Several other Chamber organizations are also affiliate members — and have changed their own names in the past to reflect a broader reach. For example, said Hagan, the Bristol Chamber of Commerce became the East Bay Chamber, and the Warwick Chamber of Commerce became the Central Rhode Island Chamber.
“We want people to perceive us for what we actually are — a statewide Chamber, a metropolitan Chamber,” said Hagan.
And he wants people from all over the world to find the Chamber and information surrounding it quickly — whether they type ‘Rhode Island,’ or ‘Providence’ into their Internet search engines.
So it’s the Rhode Island Chamber of Business and Industry — and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
The way Hagan sees it, two names are better than one.
