Making Things Happen

The Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce contributes significantly to the growth, vitality, and success of Little Rock. Over the years it served as a guiding force behind the direction and development of the greater Little Rock area. Since its inception in 1867, the Chamber has witnessed membership growth and diversity as well as an expansion of its priorities. While the international, national, and state chambers of commerce deal with issues affecting broad regional areas, the Greater Little Rock Chamber attends specifically to the needs of the greater Little Rock area while remaining cognizant of the needs of the state. Working behind the scenes, accomplishing the things that most people think just happen, the Chamber promotes business opportunities, city beautification, education, and community development.

The roots of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce begin in the nineteenth century. In September of 1866 the Arkansas Gazette published an article calling for the creation of an organization to promote trade in the area. Merchants answered the call, and in January of 1867 a group of businessmen formed the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Exchange. They elected a president, five vice-presidents, a secretary, and a treasurer.

With Col. Dudley E. Jones as the first chair , the organization focused on activities concerning transportation, taxes, and agriculture. The activity of the Chamber diminished in the mid-1870s, however, due to lack of participation from the local merchants. In 1880 local businessmen created the Cotton and Produce Exchange, but by 1886 it again became apparent that an organization addressing the specific needs of the merchants was necessary. On April 6, 1886 the businessmen formed the Little Rock Board of Trade. It soon had a membership of Little Rock as well as Argenta (North Little Rock) businesses. This organization existed as the Little Rock Board of Trade until 1914 when it took the name Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber continued to change its name throughout the years. In 1918 it became the Little Rock Board of Commerce, reverting again to the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce in 1924. In 1944 it took on the current name: the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. It remained this until 1947 when the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce formed. At that time, the organization became known simply as the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce; however, this change was short lived and the word “Greater” reappeared in 1948. Upon request from North Little Rock, the Chamber again dropped “Greater” from its title in 1954.

Until 1976 the North Little Rock and Little Rock chambers remained separate, but in the mid-1970s both organizations decided that the cities in fact comprised one economic area, and that a joint Chamber of Commerce would benefit both cities. In 1977, the Chamber began serving the entire greater Little Rock area, and changed its name to the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce of Little Rock/North Little Rock. The name soon changed when in 1979 the Chamber again became the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. Eventually, North Little Rock re-established their own chamber of commerce to deal more specifically with that city’s needs. However, the official union remains, and the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce continues to represent the entire Little Rock area in business and community issues.

The Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce centers its attention on the metropolitan area of central Arkansas, including North Little Rock and surrounding communities socially, geographically, and economically connected to Arkansas’ capital city. The current mission of the Chamber is “to recruit new businesses while also retaining and expanding existing business, and to improve greater Little Rock as a place to visit, meet, do business and live.” Among the Chamber’s priorities is the encouragement of social well being and economic growth. The welfare of the citizens is as important to the Chamber as is the success and vitality of the city. The vitality of the city, in turn, is dependent upon broader regional and national conditions.

While the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce focuses on the growth of the Little Rock area as well as on creating global network possibilities, various other chambers of commerce cover larger geographic regions. As former 1983 Chair Thomas “Mack” McLarty states, because Little Rock is the largest city in the state “the prospects for central Arkansas...effect the rest of the state.” Therefore, the Chamber recognizes the importance of staying abreast of larger state and national issues. The Arkansas State Chamber began in 1928, and its main purpose remains encouraging and improving the economic conditions throughout the state. This organization also maintains an interest in the lives of the residents of Arkansas, and deals primarily with legal issues that protect or enhance the rights of businesses and individual workers. Former State Chamber President and 1984 Greater Little Rock Chamber Chair Jerry Maulden states, “The state organization really works and coordinates with all the local chambers, and it’s vice versa.”

Also working to improve the business atmosphere of Arkansas and the rest of the nation is the United States Chamber of Commerce. Formed in 1912, today this chamber represents three million companies from the United States. The United States Chamber acts as the protector of businesses from excessive governmental intrusion into the economy. Essentially, this organization serves as a liaison between American businesses and Congress or other law making bodies in foreign countries. Finally, the International Chamber of Commerce represents the business interests of various international businesses. While this is an organization primarily concerned with international business, it also has a forum whereupon various chambers can communicate with each other about effective programs and issues of concern.

While these various organizations have little direct contact with the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, it is important to understand that the Little Rock Chamber operates in a global economy. Although its focus is on the Little Rock area, the Chamber must consider its broad priorities when choosing and implementing programs contributing to the betterment of Little Rock. The Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce keeps up with change. In so doing they have created an informative web site, www.littlerockchamber.com, with information about Little Rock and the Chamber.

Currently the Chamber actively seeks out involvement of businesses large and small; various committees devote their time and effort to increasing Chamber membership and community participation. These committees engage in goodwill tours, groundbreakings, and Business After Hours events, to name a few. All of these committees serve to recruit non-members as well as inform both members and non-members of the Chamber’s goals and programs. For instance, Little Rock citizens who are in no direct way connected to the Chamber benefit from the Chamber’s involvement in such issues as education, employment, and entertainment. Constantly aware of the city’s diversity, the Chamber strives to be a true representative of the business community as well as of Little Rock.

In December of 1928, Mrs. Frank Gibb joined the Board of Directors, then known as the Board of Governors. In doing so, she became the first woman to serve in such a position. She was an exception, however, for the Board remained comprised of white males for many years. B. Finley Vinson explains that when he was chair of the Board in 1965, “women [were not] part of anything [in the Chamber]...We have some now. Some have been recognized and become pretty active in the Chamber.” In the mid-1960s, the Chamber attempted to increase the diversity of its board membership. In 1968 the Chamber already included minority-owned businesses as members and elected Dr. Ernest T. Dixon, Jr., president of Philander Smith College and an African American, to the Board of Directors.

The election of other minority and women members to the board remained limited until 1980 when the Chamber recognized the need to further diversify the group. Aware of the need to represent the entire business community, the Chamber critically evaluated its role in race and gender relations. It realized the need to increase minority participation beyond previous limited involvement. In the 1980 elections, women and minorities gained nineteen of the one hundred board positions. In 1989 Sherman Tate served as the first African American chair of the Board, and in 1998 Janet Jones served as the Chamber’s first female chair. Today the Chamber remains conscious of the diversity of its membership. The Minority and Women Business Development Council helps meet the needs of the Chamber’s minority and women-owned business members.

Today, the structural organization of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce consists of the membership (businesses), a Board of Directors, an Executive Committee, and a paid staff. The Board of Directors, with fifty-nine positions, guides the direction of the Chamber. Twenty-three of these positions are elected, eighteen are reserved for specific community leaders, such as the Mayors of Little Rock and North Little Rock, the chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the president of Philander Smith College, and the chair selects another eighteen. These last eighteen serve as the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee provides the leadership of the Chamber. All of these positions are filled from the membership, which consisted of approximately 2,380 members in 1998.

The current paid staff of sixteen provides the crucial services to the functioning of the organization. They are, in fact, the face of the Chamber, often the first people visitors to the city encounter. The work of the membership volunteers, however, is crucial to much of what the Chamber accomplishes. Says current Chamber President Paul Harvel, “we cannot live without our volunteers.” Volunteers contribute time to the activities of the Chamber through its numerous committees. All of these committees fall within one of four headings: Economic Development, Small Business and Minority/Women, Community Affairs, or Membership and Marketing. The Central Arkansas Economic Development Alliance, Established Industry Committee, and Total Quality Management Program are examples of programs and activities that fall under Economic Development. Two groups fall under the Small Business and Minority/Women heading—the Small Business Council and the Minority and Women Business Development Council. The Education Committee and Subcommittee, Governmental Affairs and Subcommittees, and Chamber’s Public Safety Committee are a sample of the committees that come under the Community Affairs heading. Within the Membership and Marketing heading are the Ambassador Activity Committee, Chairman’s Club, and Business After Hours Committee, to name a few.

Affiliated organizations, or organizations that work with the Chamber provide more specific connections within the city. The affiliated organizations include the Little Rock Alliance for Our Public Schools, Fifty for the Future, Paint Your Heart Out, Major Sports Association, Arkansas Economic Development, Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Executives, OURTOWN Program, and Knowledge-Based Companies of Arkansas. The Chamber of Commerce, while focusing on economic growth and business opportunity never loses sight of its priorities, including the overall well-being of the citizens of greater Little Rock. Its numerous committees and affiliations provide insight to the Chamber’s enormous commitment to the community at large.

One of the Chamber’s top priorities is the development of a strong economic environment. Paramount in this is the support of agricultural and business endeavors. In its efforts to improve the business environment of the greater Little Rock area, the Chamber necessarily became involved in issues of transportation. These issues, including navigation of the state’s waterways, construction of interstate railways, highways, roads, and an airport led the Chamber to recognize its importance as a local, regional, and state influence. Participation in these issues necessitated the Chamber’s awareness and involvement in governmental issues on all levels. Involvement in issues concerning business, transportation, and government motivated the Chamber to broaden its perspective. Today, the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce views the quality of life of the citizens of Little Rock and surrounding areas as important as the development of a thriving economic community.