Ferndale Chamber Already Halfway to 2012 Goal

The announced on Monday that 52 new members joined the organization between Jan. 5 and April 5.

“As we close out the first quarter of 2012, I am excited to welcome these 52 talented companies to our Ferndale Area Chamber community,” Executive Director Jennifer Roosenberg said. “This is a time of development and growth for our organization and we are pleased to have the vital support and valuable assets these companies will bring to our new ventures.”

The growth is due in part to a membership drive challenge Roosenberg unveiled Jan. 5 at the chamber’s first morning coffee networking event of the year, when she announced that if the group added 100 new members by Dec. 5 three chamber staff members would dye their hair blonde.

Roosenberg, Adrianne Greer and Katie Jacobs would be coloring their hair in advance of the chamber’s annual holiday party in mid-December. The chamber added 114 new members in 2010 so the goal is attainable, Roosenberg said.

The growth in 2011 was stagnant "by design," she said, so the chamber could hire additional staff and add programs to accommodate the 2010 growth, she said.

"After a year of strengthening our foundation, I felt the chamber was once again poised for another year of explosive growth and wanted to kick off 2012 with a challenge I knew our members would get excited about,” Roosenberg said. “When I told my staff that I wanted to dye my hair blonde, they volunteered to join me. Their willingness to go above and beyond to help our members is part of why so many members have stepped up to the challenge by referring potential new members or just speaking positively about the Ferndale Area Chamber.”

The 50th new member joined exactly three months after Roosenberg announced the challenge. Mark Mitchell, a senior loan officer who just took a new position at Ross Mortgage in Royal Oak, joined online after sitting down with Roosenberg the previous week to learn about chamber benefits.

The chamber still wants to add at least 48 more new members in 2012. Members are accepted from all types and sizes of businesses, including businesses outside of Ferndale. Nearly 40 percent of the chamber’s members are from outside Ferndale, Roosenberg said.

For more information about the chamber or membership, visit www.ferndalechamber.com.