Partner Spotlight: Frederick County Chamber of Commerce

1. What is the mission of your organization?The Frederick Chamber connects businesses and community through leadership, advocacy, and education.

The Frederick Chamber is the trusted leader for business in our vibrant community. We promote economic vitality by advocating for business in Frederick County and by bringing together the right people to solve common problems.

We measure the effectiveness of our mission by continually growing membership, retaining dedicated members, providing well-planned programming and ensuring sound fiscal stewardship.

2. What are your top priorities? First, we want to help our members thrive, and provide educational programs, networking opportunities and lots of brand exposure to help grow businesses.

And more broadly, we work together to foster a healthy business environment and generate sustainable economic growth across the region. The three areas of long-range focus determined by our members are Infrastructure Improvements; Workforce/Talent Pipeline; and Promoting the vibrant Frederick business community.  

3. How did the organization get started/tell us some history about your organization. On April 22, 1912, President Taft held a well-attended conference of commercial associations promoting the creation of the United States Chamber of Commerce.  Among the 700 in attendance were Captain John Markey, E.E. Osborne, S. Lewis Motter and Holms D. Baker of the Frederick Board of Trade.

The next day, April 23, 1912, the Frederick Board of Trade wired in an application for the newly formed Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, with Captain Markey as the organization's first president.

On May 21, 1912, the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce received its official Charter, making it the first chartered Chamber of Commerce in the United States.

A glass-etched rendition of the original charter hangs proudly in today's Chamber office.

Since that time, the organization has grown and diversified, becoming one of the largest Chambers in the State of Maryland. One of the wonderful aspects of the Chamber is that we have members celebrating 125 years in business, and we have members who have just formed this year, all working together to grow our vibrant business community.  


4. Can you share any upcoming events or any news about your organization? Our biggest news of the year is that we have moved our headquarters into Downtown Frederick, as of June 1. Our new home at 118 N. Market Street, is located in an innovative building shared with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, a soon-to-be opening IT incubator, and several more business-oriented tenants. The level of cooperation and collaboration among these organizations will be enhanced, and current and future business owners will find an array of services available under one roof. While we are getting settled in very comfortably, the building will be a work-in-progress until it is completely finished later this year. 

5. What type of companies are best positioned to take advantage of your services? 

The beauty of the Chamber is that so many types of companies are represented in our membership. While we are known for bringing together large powerhouses such as the Major Employers Group, it is actually the small business owners and sole proprietors that make up more than 80% of our membership. Any company doing business in Frederick County should seriously consider becoming a valued member of the Chamber. 

If you go:
Frederick County Chamber of Commerce
118 N. Market Street, 2nd Floor
Frederick, Maryland 21701
301-662-4164

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