Arkansas State Chamber Sets up Local Presence

The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce has established a permanent presence in Northwest Arkansas. Angela DeLille, director of government affairs, and Angie Cooper, head of Northwest Arkansas

membership and community relations, will represent the chamber in this area, while still tackling the broader needs of the state’s business community.

DeLille, who has been with the chamber for five years, operates out of an office at the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, while Cooper works from an office at the Springdale Chamber of Commerce.

Because the main goal of the state chamber is to address business at the government level, the headquarters is in Little Rock.

But the chamber decided to establish a presence in Northwest Arkansas to ensure face time between chamber representatives and members in this region, DeLille said.

“We want to make sure we’re out there with our members every day,” she said.

The state chamber has grown significantly over the last two years. New member sales averaged $29,000 per year from 1998 to 2005. This year, sales will probably reach $260,000.

DeLille said the chamber’s new momentum is largely the work of Paul Harvel, president and CEO.

Harvel looked at the state chambers in Oklahoma and Mississippi – states with populations and needs comparable to those in Arkansas – and decided to implement similar policies. w