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New South Valley Chamber combines three cities for more opportunities

Sep 05, 2019 12:24PM ● By Stephanie De Graw

By Stephanie DeGraw | [email protected]

The new South Valley Chamber is open for business. 

Formerly the Sandy Area Chamber, the South Valley Chamber will use the new name to reflect its regional presence and collaboration with Draper and Riverton. For the past several years the Sandy Chamber operated more as a regional hub with 40% of their membership located outside city limits.

By teaming up with Sandy, Draper and Riverton, it will create more economic development opportunities to benefit the region according to Amy Nelson, director of communications for the new chamber. "The South Valley Chamber is actively working to create additional partnerships with surrounding cities," she said.

The changing business landscape is another reason the chamber of commerce is expanding. "We need to adapt. We believe that a vital role of a chamber of commerce is to provide resources to help companies grow, increase revenues, create jobs and get more customers," said Greg Summerhays, president and CEO of the South Valley Chamber.

The South Valley Chamber will be offering The Business Institute to all members. Businesses across Salt Lake County and beyond can take advantage of the services and the programs. The Institute launched in 2018.

The Business Institute has several academies including a mini-MBA program, sales academy, digital marketing academy and a finance academy. The signature program — the KeyBank Business Accelerator Academy — takes business owners through a 13-session course. It builds a customized, three-year growth plan by taking a hard look at the company's finances, marketing, sales and management style. "We utilize an award-winning curriculum that has proven tangible growth outcomes for small businesses," Summerhays said.

Sandy City Mayor Kurt Bradburn supports the new name and regional focus. “As the south end of the valley continues to grow, we need an institution that can help drive economic development for the region by strengthening our small- to medium-sized business community. We have valued our partnership with the chamber," Bradburn said.

Draper Mayor Troy Walker is also thrilled with the new partnership. "This will give more businesses in our city the opportunity to benefit from the programs already offered at the South Valley Chamber. We have a great relationship with our surrounding cities and believe this partnership with the South Valley Chamber will help accelerate regional economic development," Walker said.

Riverton Mayor Trent Stagges said the arrangement with the new South Valley Chamber would help businesses continue to prosper. "This move aligns directly with Riverton City's goal of promoting a thriving business climate that supports the needs of our residents. The regional economy in the south end of Salt Lake County will benefit from the support of a strong regional chamber of commerce," Stagges said.

The executive board of the former Sandy Chamber discussed how to align resources better and create a more significant impact on the business community. 

"We believe that a regional chamber that focuses on fostering small business growth, increasing networking opportunities and advocating for the unique needs of the region will accomplish these objectives," said Nathan Anderson, the chamber executive committee chairman.

The Chamber offices have relocated to the Mountain America Expo Center in the Cairns District in Sandy, 9800 S. Monroe Street. The new website is southvalleychamber.com