EVERETT — All systems are “go” for the launch this month of a revived Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber will open with about 130 members.
“There’s been so much support,” chamber CEO Wendy Poischbeg said. “It’s very exciting.”
Though the nascent chamber still lacks an office, it has completed its infrastructure paperwork and will begin a series of what Poischbeg called “networking opportunities.”
The first one will be Jan. 15, when speaker John Carswell kicks off a Lunch & Learn program with a speech at 11:30 a.m. in the APEX Art and Cultural Center, 1611 Everett Ave.
Rich White, a Boeing manager, and APEX founder Carswell are chair and vice chair of the Everett chamber board.
In addition to member luncheons, the chamber plans to offer workshops, classes, informal gatherings, and training in the use of AI tools.
“The No. 1 thing we recognized in our outreach was the desire for connectivity,” Poischbeg said.
The Everett chamber will focus on the entire city, especially South Everett, Poischbeg said. It will work with the Downtown Everett Association and the Everett Station District Alliance, two special interest districts funded by self-imposed taxes.
The city hasn’t had a Everett-specific chamber since 2011. That year, the Everett Chamber and two other chambers consolidated to form Economic Alliance Snohomish County, a region-wide group which is still going strong.
Poischbeg, who started a failed coffee shop as a student at Everett Community College, was interim CEO of the larger Economic Alliance last year when she chose to move into heading the new Everett chamber.
“It’s like this full-circle moment,” she said. “We can offer resources so businesses don’t make the same mistakes I did. I didn’t know about the resources that were available.”
The impetus for an Everett chamber came from small businesses who felt unrepresented in the Economic Alliance, which included the entire Snohomish County.
The city pledged $600,000 in seed money to help get the new chamber started. It used its COVID-19 stimulus dollars toward it. The chamber offers three different membership levels, ranging from $500 a year to $10,000-plus.
