Businesses in Carbon County have much to gain by becoming members of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce.

Marlyn Kissner, the executive director of the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corp., explained about all the chamber has to offer to members of the Palmerton Chamber of Commerce at its monthly luncheon.The two chambers work with each other and share members.The Carbon Chamber is part of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, which consists of offices in Nazareth, Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and Phillipsburg, New Jersey.The chamber association programs are located in 24 communities in four counties and two states. The northernmost location is in Penn Kidder, the farthest south is Southern Lehigh, and the farthest west is Panther Valley."The footprint map shows the power of our partnerships," Kissner said. "We have the Lehigh Valley to turn to if you want to do business there." If a business owner wants to tap into the Lehigh Valley market, they are welcome to attend chamber meetings in the valley and network with businesses there, she said.In all, the Carbon Chamber has 500 members and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber has 6,000 members. GLVC is actually the largest chamber of commerce in the state the and seventh in the nation, she said."I love connecting people who may want to do business in another town or city," Kissner said.In a fun, interactive way to help the chamber members learn more about all the Carbon County/GLVC has to offer, Alice Wanamaker, the member relations director, gave each person an envelope with a different service listed on the card.Each person opened an envelope and announced the service listed. Wanamaker provided more information about what that entails.Items included:• Advertising opportunities - the chamber has negotiated ad rate reductions for members.• Free blog submissions - members are welcome to write on topics of their expertise and submit them for publication on the chamber website.• Government Affairs and Political Advocacy - representation in the state and the Lehigh Valley of the needs of businesses in Carbon County.• Health Care and Human Resources Support - through partnering with Equinox, businesses can rely on them to provide support regarding benefits, health insurance, enrollments and claims.• Ribbon Cutting and ground breaking ceremonies - any time a member has a special event coming up, a new location or expansion, the GLVC can organize the ribbon cutting/ground breaking event. They invite the dignitaries and write the press releases.• Small Business Lending - access and support to help grow a business or get one started through low-interest loans.• Training and Entrepreneurial Workshops - experts in their field teach workshops on topics such as marketing, business plans, finance, accounting, legal issues and human resources.• Website hosting - if a business, such as a startup, cannot afford to create a website, the GLVC can upgrade their profile listing and host the website for them.• Committees - the Young Professionals group work to help further along other young business owners.• Networking mixers - help a business host a mixer.About the mixers, Kissner said, "You can get upward of 50 businesses at your business that may not have been there before."Business owners may become outlets for new business deals or contacts to other people that can help a business grow.Kissner said she's happy to be able to help businesses in Carbon County."It's my home and my community, and I really love it," she said.