41 www. ReadMPM. com | www.MountPl easantMagaz i ne. com | www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com “And to do that, we have to have members.” In its first two months, the new Chamber signed on 20 members among that population of 4,400. To put these numbers into perspective, when the Columbia, S.C. Chamber of Commerce was created in 1902, it began with 192 members among a population of around 21,000. This means that for every 4,400 people, the Columbia Chamber had 40 members— not that many more than what the Isle of Palms Chamber began in a considerably smaller area. “Now we have 1,200 members across the state’s most populous city,” said Carl Blackstone, Columbia Chamber president and CEO. “So, the Isle of Palms Chamber’s initial membership numbers are good for a community that size.” Limbach added that since opening for membership on April 26, interest in the IOP Chamber has been growing daily. “Our goal is to reach a minimum of 50 members by the end of 2022,” she said. “And we believe we will exceed that number.” Not surprisingly, the Chamber’s initial membership drew heavily from the industries of hospitality and tourism, with a lot of attention from both construction and homebased businesses. And in the wake of the pandemic, Limbach and other first-year board members are looking to serve as a right arm to both local governments and individual businesses to help re-shape the future of this small but highly sought-after vacation spot. “It is very important for us to advocate for responsible tourism– not slamming the island full with tourists to the point where it can’t function well,” said Scottie Frier, firstyear IOP Chamber secretary and talent buyer with The Windjammer. Limbach indicated that all current members are volunteers— no one, including herself, is getting paid for their time or effort to see the new Chamber succeed. “[This] goes to show what a great business community we have here,” she said. “It’s almost mind-boggling to me that this kind of Chamber hasn’t happened before now, especially considering how far we have already come without any of us originally intending to do this.” The roots of the effort began in late 2021 as a simple email to gather local business owners. In almost no time, the idea of a Chamber quickly caught on, and since the group’s first roundtable meeting on Dec. 7, 2021, it has turned into an official 501(c)6 organization with a board of directors. New IOP Chamber of Commerce l ogo. feature
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