Crown Point Chamber Raises the Standard With Events, Marketing Efforts
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By presenting its own full calendar of events as well as partnering with other business and community organizations, the Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce never misses an opportunity to promote the area.
Indeed, the chamber’s roots dating back to 1914 and its reorganization in 1953 centered around the need for businesses to not only be represented at the state and local government levels, but to be a part of the community fabric itself. It’s a mandate that the chamber accomplishes with a great deal of variety and flair, says Gayle Van Sessen, who served as the chamber’s executive director until July 2009.
“We have at least one major event a quarter, and that didn’t happen by accident,” Van Sessen says. “When I came here 15 years ago, people were saying that the chamber wasn’t very visible any more, and that they didn’t know what we were all about. Over the years, we’ve worked to make sure that people can get a very clear picture of who we are, and what we add to the quality of life in this community. And as a part of that, we’ve been able to help the business community grow.”
Leading the pack in terms of major events is Hometown Festival Days, which incorporates multiple events over two weeks each summer. Some events, such as the July 4 parade, are managed by other organizations, but the chamber takes the helm with most activities and the overall festival itself. And then there are events around major holidays, networking and after-hours opportunities, and more, all guaranteed to keep chamber members plugged in to the people of Crown Point.
Chamber businesses also benefit from the organization’s strong influence on local and regional economic development. By promoting Crown Point as a unique residential and tourist destination, as well as for its proximity to the Chicago metropolitan area, a wider range of companies and residents are brought in, Van Sessen says.
“You can’t find some of the things we’ve got anywhere else in northwest Indiana,” she says. “It’s a very urban area in a lot of ways, and so having a smaller community, having these kinds of events in a historic downtown, make us much more than a bedroom community. We’re connected to Chicago, but we’re also a little different.”
Crown Point’s residential base has swelled considerably in the last five years, something else Van Sessen attributes to the successful marketing and outreach.
“People say they came for an event and decided to move here,” she says. “They love what we have here. And we work with a lot of other organizations in the region that are bringing in the larger businesses, like the refineries and steel mills, so that we can highlight ourselves as a place for those new employees to live; a place where they’d want to raise a family.”
Story by Joe Morris
