2022 Affiliate Chamber Spotlight: Knoxville Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Name + Website

Knoxville Chamber of Commerce

Elected Leader for 2022

Chris Gordon, President, Board of Directors

Professional Staff Leader of the Chamber

Emma Skahill, Executive Director

Number of Members

150 Members

How Does a Business Join Your Chamber?

Joining our Chamber is easy and can be done over the phone or through email. Anyone interested in joining the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce can either call the office at (641) 828-7555 or send our staff an email at info@knoxvilleiachamber.com.

What Inspired You to First Get Involved with Your Chamber?

In May of 2018, my business opened in a new location. Although we did not become Chamber members until October of 2018, the extensive promotion leading up to the ribbon cutting, as well as the event itself showed the value of being involved as a business. This was the catalyst to my inspiration to become involved on the Chamber Board.

What is a Signature Offering of Your Chamber?

We host several events to provide our members an opportunity to network and learn tips for growing their businesses, including our monthly Let’s Meet for Koffee. We also plan the McKay Group Knoxville Nationals parade each year, drawing thousands of guests to our downtown area to help support our locally owned businesses. We also brought Ridiculous Day back to our community in 2021, which has quickly become a favorite summer event for Knoxville residents and members of surrounding communities.

What is Your Chamber’s Biggest Accomplishment in the Past 12 Months?

Our biggest accomplishment to date is the launch of a new Chamber website that is a “one-stop” source of information regarding all things Knoxville. Within the new site is an updated Events calendar that is much easier to navigate allowing organizations to add their upcoming events to broaden their reach and increase awareness.

What Initiative/Project Are You Looking Forward to in the Upcoming Year?

Our major initiative is to further increase awareness with enhanced promotion of community and commerce events in and around the Knoxville area. The foundation for this, we felt, began with a more user-friendly and informative website. To further the reach, we will be adding a scannable QR Code that will link directly to the site and events calendar. We plan to place these throughout the community and local businesses as part of our upcoming initiative.

What Partnership Tools/Resources Have Been Most Beneficial to Your Chamber Members?

We have been so impressed with the information and resources provided to our members, especially during the constant changes during the pandemic two years ago. The Partnership did such a great job during those challenging times, and they continue to provide valuable information to our members that is greatly needed and appreciated.

What Are Your Upcoming Events?

• Ribbon Cutting for Stanley’s Service: Friday, Sept. 23
• Ribbon Cutting for Knoxville Middle School: Friday, Sept. 30
• Let’s Meet for Koffee: Thursday, Oct. 1

Find these events and more at knoxvilleiachamber.com/events.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the fourth largest regional Chamber of Commerce in the nation. Learn more about Partnership Affiliate Chambers, browse the Membership Directory and read additional Affiliate Chamber spotlights.