According to Bill Ballard, vice president of member services with the Richardson Chamber, the effort will help bolster businesses serving a part of Dallas that is largely encompassed within Richardson ISD’s boundaries.
“Many of our members have businesses and customers in both parts of the community,” he said via email. “There is a lot of synergy that we can build by bringing the Lake Highlands Chamber members to the Richardson Chamber.”
Why it matters?
Moving forward, Ballard said more programming is being added to help Lake Highlands Chamber members grow their business networks and customer bases in each community.
According to Lake Highlands Chamber founder Ted Hill, the organization had about 250 members. However, Ballard noted that the Richardson Chamber is working to update the membership roster and does not have an exact figure of how many members from the Lake Highlands Chamber have joined.
“The merger of the two organizations brings a new opening to growth,” Hill said via email. “Connections create opportunities. When you are running a business, you need opportunities to win business, win people into your store, win more [items] served and win your dream.”
“We recognize the unique community that exists in Lake Highlands and are busy meeting with its small businesses and getting them plugged into all the Richardson Chamber offers,” Ballard said in a statement.
Digging deeper
Founded in 1946, the Richardson Chamber has more than 500 member organizations. According to its website, its goals for 2024 include enhancing workforce development, and increasing diversity and inclusion.
The Lake Highlands Chamber officially closed in January, Hill said. However, he added that the chamber unofficially closed during the pandemic due to a decline in activity and lack of funds.
“A chamber is a wonderful path to navigate down to get the help businesses need to live out their dream,” Hill said. “Not all business owners can do 100% of every aspect of running a business. Business ownership has a lot of moving parts.”
Disclosure: Community Impact is a member of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the Lake Highlands Chamber.
