The fledgling 10-year-old city of Hoover formed to begin the chamber with the blessings of the new city’s founders.
In the first month, the first fifty members recruited were designated charter members of the Hoover Chamber. Most were located in what is known as the Barbizon Building on Lorna Road in Hoover, and the newsletters were written, copied, and hand-delivered by Jean McCurdy, the Chamber’s original manager/secretary.
Since that time, the Chamber has grown to over 1100 members throughout Hoover and surrounding areas of Jefferson and Shelby Counties. Of course, in that time, the city’s population has grown from 410 original residents in 1967 to over 93,000 today.
The Hoover Chamber’s main purposes are to provide services to their community, member businesses, visitors, and prospective residents. The finances to operate the chamber come in part from a grant from the City government each year, but primarily from membership dues paid by the members. Fees for membership range begins from $275 per year for members who want ENGAGE and three other levels with benefits that fit the varying needs of businesses today.
Additional funding comes from non-dues revenue sources such as the Chamber’s golf tournament (almost $15,000 annually), the annual Hoover Magazine, Website ad revenues, and affiliation programs such as our promotional agreement with ODP, providing over $20,000.00 annually in rebate commissions for Chamber members who use their services.
Each month, the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce hosts a monthly luncheon at different venues across Hoover, averaging some 200 members and guests in attendance. These are normally held on the Third Thursday of each month. In addition, on the Second Thursday of each month, a Coffee and Contacts networking event is held at various member-host locations, with typically 75-100 members and guests attending. We also have a Business After Hours event on the Fourth Thursday of each month except November and December (Holiday conflicts) held at different member-host locations. These generally have approximately 100 members and guests in attendance.
