Jackson chamber presents future plans at Partner Appreciation Luncheon

Brian Gerau, president and chief executive officer of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, announced the chamber has reached its largest membership ever during its 2024 Partner Appreciation Luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Speaking in front of a crowd of about 50 at Hubble Creek Venue, 1506 Farmington Blvd. in Jackson, Gerau related how the chamber now had 565 members and 45 partners. That is significantly more than the 230-odd members and seven partners he inherited when he joined the chamber 15 years ago.

“We’re technically no longer a small chamber,” he said. “… We are just so blessed at the chamber to have your support. We always finish every program with ‘We thank you’ because we couldn't do what we do without you.”

Gerau also detailed some improvements the chamber would focus on for the future. One of these is adding more professional development opportunities to the Jackson Leadership & Development and Women’s Impact Network programs.

“That way, when you send your staff here, they actually go away with information outside of that program where they have professional development they can take back to the workplace so your staff and your business can grow,” Gerau said.

The Jackson chamber women’s network is among Missouri’s largest at 150 regular participants, he continued, and its leadership group had a record-high membership in 2024 with 25 participants.

Gerau said the chamber would also form an advocacy committee in 2025 to travel to Jefferson City and discuss small-business issues.

Online initiatives

The chamber’s online presence played a major role in Wednesday’s luncheon. Gerau discussed its new Go Jackson MO tourism initiative in conjunction with the City of Jackson. It provides a comprehensive list of all businesses, events and destinations in the city.

“We are the one-stop shop for tourism. Before, we had multiple entities that kind of did their own thing, which was great … but there was no place to put it all together. Now there is,” Gerau said.

To better enhance the tourism aspect of its role, the chamber’s office at 1846 E. Jackson Blvd. will undergo a complete renovation. Located in an old bank building, it will be redesigned to remove the teller lines and become a small convention and visitors bureau.

“We want to be a tourism hub, so when people come in it’s welcoming and they have the supplies that they need,” Gerau said.

Construction commences in early December and will be complete around the end of January.

Chamber retail and membership director Janna Clifton informed the audience about the chamber’s Business is Better in Jackson website, www.businessisbetterinjackson.com, which provides details on economic data and development opportunities for prospective business owners.

“The best part is it’s always changing. I was able to just reach out to update it because our retail sales growth is even higher now than when we started this page,” Clifton said. Retail sales tax numbers in Jackson have increased 39% since 2018.

The Business is Better in Jackson’s landing page has been nominated for an award from the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri.