Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce turns 40

The Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month.

Since 1980, the organization has shined a spotlight on the city of Gig Harbor and the local businesses.

Warren Zimmerman, the CEO for the past 13 years, said the chamber has had an impact on every resident in the community.

“While we are very much business-oriented, the impact of the things we have accomplished has been beneficial to anyone who has crossed this bridge,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said with their Economic Development Department the Chamber of Commerce has been able address things such as highway maintenance. He said they were heavily involved in the development on the second Narows Bridge coming into Gig Harbor.

The Chamber of Commerce, now 500 members strong, began with five local business people who felt it was important for the city to be recognized for their unique attributes.

Zimmerman said one thing emphasized in the organization’s toddler years was a theme of unity within the community, wanted to bring the business community together, along with the local government and newspaper.

Zimmerman said the Chamber of Commerce has changed greatly over the years, with a large emphasis on tourism slowly changing toward supporting more traditional businesses.

“Initially there was a lot of emphases on tourism and although we are still very much in favor of tourism, it’s not our primary function,” he said.

Marketing has advanced as well. Zimmerman said in the early years the chamber got out the word about Gig Harbor by entering a float in all the major city parades.

“That was the tool they used to acquaint people with this little town called Gig Harbor. That was an effective way back in the early’80s, but today we rely heavily on social media and networking,” Zimmerman said.

Looking ahead, the Chamber of Commerce are looking to address issues such taxing in the city in 2020. Zimmerman said the chamber is also looking at some of the downtown parking issues and traffic flows, and will be submitting information to the city and planners to address these issues.

At a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. today at Canterwood Golf & Country Club, the chamber will celebrate four members who have been with the organization since its inception.