Message from the Chair

Bob Caley, Chairman of the Board

As board members of the Huntington County Chamber of Commerce we are committed to ensuring that the dollars you invest with us are re-invested back into programs, activities, initiatives and events that further advance the Chamber’s mission. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with the current board to continue this mission to promote and serve our membership and our community.

As we look into 2025, our efforts will be focused on maintaining and strengthening relationships with our Chamber members as well as working with and welcoming new businesses into the community.

The Chamber will continue hosting our monthly Huntington County Coffee Connections on the first Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m. during the year. This event is held at the Habecker Dining Commons on the campus of Huntington University and encourages attendees to share information or to update community leaders on important things taking place in their business.

We also plan to continue the Student Leadership Luncheons where Huntington University students are introduced to local community leaders to help the student explore their majors with community leaders. We are pledging to work with Huntington North High School students that are planning to attend Huntington University with our contributions to the Hometown Grant. The Hometown Grant guarantees every Huntington North student scholarship money for attending Huntington University.

The Chamber continues to work with a group of entrepreneurs to build and maintain an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to grow wealth locally with entrepreneurs and more. These quarterly meetings are held in the Chamber’s conference room. This initiative has begun our ‘Meet & Greet’ events around the county where local entrepreneurs share their stories with a group of like-minded individuals. This is our way to grow entrepreneurialism in and around Huntington County by hosting events for entrepreneurs to network with other entrepreneurs in the region. The Chamber plans to rotate these meetings quarterly around the county.

The Chamber started a new program called ‘Chamber Chat’ in 2024. This program is currently working with small business owners to help them in their challenges, issues, or as support to make sure their business has the answers they need to ensure they can grow and prosper right here in Huntington County.

The Chamber will continue serving the community through Heritage Days, Music in the City, Farmer’s Market, Constitution Day, Veterans Day parade and celebration, Christmas in the City and other events to bring more people to Huntington County throughout the year. We will continue working with those purchasing buildings and revitalizing them, those wanting to start a business and the entrepreneurs that need help with startup through our SCORE mentorship program and the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC).

We are consistently evaluating new programs that will further enhance or expand networking opportunities that help those in attendance create stronger relationships within the community.

Our mission is to support local businesses, and to promote an atmosphere in which businesses thrive and the quality of life in our county improves. As we work to fulfill this mission, the Chamber is working to promote and support businesses and organizations that help make Huntington County the great place it is to live, work and play.