HOLLAND, Mich. — The Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce has been recognized as 'Chamber of the Year' by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. The chamber credits its success to the support of the community.
"We say we have a small and mighty team," said Jodi Owczarski, President and CEO of the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce Tuesday. "It's an all female team that does the most incredible work that I could ever ask for."
The chamber's team of seven earned the title in Philadelphia, PA last week.
"I think the number one way that I would say that we're unique is one of our core values, and that's be a trailblazer," Owczarski explained. "We know that we have to do things that we've never done before, and possibly things that no other chamber has ever done before, but it's what our members need for us to do to help them be successful today, tomorrow and into the future."
One example is the chamber's newly established career center, which bridges the gap between business and education.
"We had set a goal to engage with 100 students and engaged with over 1000 within less than a year ... It's just this incredible tool. Anyone is welcome to take it," said Britt Delo, the chamber's Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. "We are now officially launching a physical space, the Career Center, moving right down the road on the third floor of The Next Center, where we'll be able to partner with Lakeshore Advantage."
The chamber's Community Impact Day initiative has been particularly instrumental in their recognition.
"It was born out of our West Coast Leadership Program where the graduates were going to go and give to the community as part of the graduation day," explained Delo.
This year, the small-town initiative expanded statewide.
"We had nearly 4,000 people, 4,000 volunteers out giving back. And so we're serving nonprofits, municipalities. We're doing things like we built a playground, we painted the fence along Collin Park," Delo said.
Stacy Kamphius wasn't surprised to hear of the chamber's news. A part owner of The Insurance Group, her business has been a chamber member for the past three decades.
"It has been a really, really easy ride, and it has also been the biggest vehicle that we've used to meet people," Kamphius said. "It's more emotional than you thought it would be, because we already knew that we deserved it, slash they deserved it. We already knew what a powerhouse we had going."
Owczarski hopes it is something they can top in 2026.
"This truly is not a win about the chamber team. This really is about the collective. If our members weren't fully engaged, if our board and ambassadors weren't fully engaged, this wouldn't have been possible, no matter how amazing our staff is," Owczarski added. "We were able to put Holland, Michigan, Zeeland, Michigan on the map in the most positive way."
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