HOLLAND, Mich. — The Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce has officially opened its new headquarters in Holland, marking a significant milestone for the organization that serves over 1,200 businesses in our Holland and Zeeland neighborhoods.
The chamber celebrated the opening Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Its operations are located on the third floor of the the Next Center building on 7th Street, which also houses Lakeshore Advantage.
"It was almost exactly a year ago that our board voted for us to purchase this space and start the process of building this out," said Jodi Owczarski, the chamber's president. "So, to have this culminate in this great ribbon cutting celebration today is truly a dream come true."
The new headquarters has been designed as a one-stop shop for businesses, featuring both large and small meeting spaces to accommodate the chamber's role in bringing people together.
"Our members can use this space and come in and use one of our large gathering rooms. They can use our conference rooms," Owczarski added.
Another key feature of the new facility is a physical Career Center, addressing what Owczarski identifies as the top concern among chamber members: finding access to talent.
"We're working with high school students and college students, young professionals, to help them on that journey towards their career, so that we can help them identify how they're uniquely wired, what their attributes are that would lead them to a great career, that they're both qualified for and that they're going to enjoy." Owczarski said.
Look inside the Chamber's new headquarters:
Local businesses like Lakewood Construction, which actually built the chamber's new space, understands the need for this talent.
"Finding great talent is a challenge for a lot of businesses in the area, and especially in the construction industry, we feel that a lot. And so, we're always on the look for talent," said Nick Nykerk, the president of Lakewood Construction.
"One thing I really like about the chamber is their focus on that career development, and demonstrating and giving an access or a platform to different businesses to showcase how they attract talent," he added.
The new facility positions the chamber to continue its mission as a catalyst for business growth in the community.
"It's just great to be able to bring the community in to utilize all of these different spaces," Owczarski said.
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