U.S. Membership Program Extends to Area Chambers

Bentonville, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Springdale and Fayetteville Chambers of Commerce have joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce through the Federation Membership program, said Perry Webb, Springdale’s Chamber president and CEO.

The cities are the first in the nation to join the U.S. Chamber as a regional Chamber, Webb said.

The program, which is free to the 4,200 members of the Chambers, benefits small businesses by providing them with resources only offered through the U.S. Chamber. It also benefits the U.S. Chamber by allowing them to build relationships with local Chambers through lobbying and policymaking, Webb said.

“My thought was that this would be a good product for us to offer through the local Chambers,” Webb said.

Some of the benefits small businesses will have include use of the members-only area of the U.S. Chamber Web site’s Small Business Center, discounts on products and services and maybe speakers and seminars in the future, Webb said.

Members of the five Chambers have automatically received the Federation Membership and only have to maintain its local Chamber membership in order to keep it.