SANCAP CHAMBER
\nFrom left, Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Chair Jen Whyte and SanCap Chamber Board Chair Michael Nachef.<\/p>\n
The six-month management contract between the SanCap Chamber and Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce (GFMCC) has yielded strong results for the communities they serve. Feedback from members, businesses, chamber staff and community stakeholders has reinforced a decision for both to work toward a permanent consolidation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis relationship began in the post-Ian days, when \u2018mainlanders\u2019 showed up for us in our time of need \u2014 in response to asks and deals we put forth to bring them across the bridge to support us and get us back on our feet,\u201d SanCap Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer John Lai, whom GFMCC asked to step in in December to lead while it sought a new president, said. \u201cA permanent consolidation at this point would allow the synergy and strength regionalism brings, while keeping the branding of each organization and the community identities intact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consolidating and strategically investing resources the past months has helped both the SanCap Chamber, which has yet to regain over 25% in lost accommodations, and GFMCC, which lost its pre-Hurricane Ian home, in their recovery. The partnership resulted in the conjoined SanCap and Greater Fort Myers Chambers of Commerce.<\/p>\n
\u201cCovid, Hurricane Ian and the long recovery that has followed reinforced something we already knew but sometimes forget: Community is everything,\u201d GFMCC Chair Jen Whyte said. \u201cWhen things fall apart, you find out fast who shows up, and you realize no chamber, no business, city, island or community gets through it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Working with the SanCap Chamber since December has expanded connections, resources and reach for GFMCC members, she said. For the SanCap Chamber, combining forces has brought badly needed numbers \u2014 another 750 members to offset those lost to recent storms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve built a great collaboration working with our partners at the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce over these past six months,\u201d SanCap Chamber Board Chair Michael Nachef said. \u201cWe are extremely pleased with the results. We\u2019ve found new and even better ways to support our business members and the broader community.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cited workforce, transportation, insurance and housing as challenges better met by regional alignment than isolation. Currently, Lee County sustains 11 separate chambers of commerce. In 2018, when water quality issues made them all vulnerable, Lai was instrumental in uniting them to effect legislative and environmental change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of what we\u2019ve been able to grow under John Lai\u2019s leadership over these past months, and even more excited about what comes next,\u201d Whyte said. \u201cSouthwest Florida is stronger when we stop treating municipal borders as dividing lines. It often feels like we\u2019re the only ones who care about those invisible lines. Clearly, our visitors do not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStay tuned for more news as this relationship continues to grow,\u201d Nachef added.<\/p>\n