The Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 135th anniversary.
The Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce began serving businesses in our community as the Lima Board of Trade in 1887. As the Chamber celebrates its 135th anniversary, President and CEO Jed Metzger told us their mission is still "to serve, represent and enhance business growth and success.” The Chamber offers a variety of programs encompassing small business development, membership development, workforce development, legislative advocacy and community development. Jed told us that the Chamber ranks in the top 10% among chambers of similar size across the nation with a 93% retention rate and high engagement with members. Jed says workforce development is a priority right now and they're working with programs for teens like the Lima Senior mentoring program and MakerFest to introduce our youth to some of the career paths available to them. The Chamber is planning a 135th anniversary celebration which will be announced in the near future.
Also at Monday's meeting, we kicked off our annual PolioPlus campaign. Keith Horner encouraged everyone to donate, either by filling out the donation cards at our meetings or online through our website. Our club's goal for this year is $5,000.