The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the Trinity-Odessa Chamber of Commerce are considering a merger.
An exploratory committee is beginning meetings this week, with an eye toward seeing if combining the two chambers will yield positive results for both chambers and their members, said Elayne Bassinger, president of the Central Pasco Chamber.
Bassinger said the Central Pasco Chamber was approached by the Trinity-Odessa Chamber, with the idea that a merger may be mutually beneficial.
Initially, the chairman of Trinity-Odessa Chamber’s board, Todd Pillars, and its incoming chairman, Mike Kelley, met with Bassinger and Terri Dusek, incoming president for the Central Pasco Chamber.
“When there was an interest in seeing if this would be doable, then the executive board from Trinity-Odessa met with the executive board of Central Pasco Chamber; from there we decided there would be an exploratory committee,” Bassinger said.
The exploratory committee is made up of the four-member executive board of the Central Pasco Chamber and four members of the executive board of the Trinity-Odessa Chamber.
The committee will consider the logistics and benefits of a merger.
If the chambers merged, the single chamber would have about 800 members. Currently, both chambers each have about 400 members.
The larger chamber would provide a stronger voice, enabling it to be a stronger advocate for issues that are important to businesses in the area, Bassinger said.
“Financially, we would be a stronger chamber,” Bassinger added, noting the two chambers could pool their resources.
Businesses who are now members of both chambers would need just a single membership, too, she noted.
“That also frees up our companies to sponsor more because when you’re splitting your advertising dollars between a number of chambers, then you’re more limited in the resources you have to support each of those chambers,” Bassinger said.
While noting a number of benefits, Bassinger emphasized that no decision has been reached yet.
“We really are in the preliminary stages of making sure that it’s good for the members, as well as for the chambers,” she said.
“After doing our due diligence, if a recommendation is that a merger is what we think would be the best for the chambers and the members, then that would be taken to our respective boards for approval,” Bassinger said.
The chambers issued a joint news release that a merger is being considered, to ensure that everyone has accurate information, Bassinger said.
“We were already hearing that we had merged,” Bassinger said. “Yes, we are talking, but in in no way has that been cemented.”
“We hope within 60 days that we would at least have a recommendation,” she said.
If a merger is approved, then “we would like to move as quickly as possible to make that happen and make it as seamless as we can also, for both sides,” she said.
In merging the two organizations, the goal would be to preserve current activities that are important to the individual chamber, Bassinger said.
“We would look at what was important to each chamber, and how we would work that in,” Bassinger said. For instance, Wednesday morning networking at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que would be preserved because that’s important for Central Pasco Chamber members, she said.
Mike Kelley, the incoming chairman of the Trinity-Odessa Chamber, said his organization is interested in the merger because of all of the growth occurring in the Central Pasco area.
In the news release about the merger talks, Pillars noted: “The strengths of each organization compliment the other and it is believed that one combined organization will be stronger, more effective and more efficient.”
The Trinity-Odessa Chamber organized in 2014.
The Central Pasco Chamber, celebrating its 41st year, is the third-oldest chamber in Pasco County, Bassinger said.
Published May 25, 2016
