SAUGUS — The Saugus Chamber of Commerce has merged with the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC) in an effort to better represent member businesses.
“The general concept is to promote a regional approach to business advocacy,” said Colin Codner, executive director of the LACC. “As you can imagine, the Route 1, 1A, and 129 triangle represent a perfect economic zone serving as a gateway between the North Shore and the Greater Boston Area.”
“We’re truly looking at socioeconomic advancement within our region and this zone,” said Codner.
The Lynn Area Chamber has 23 board members and the Saugus board has seven. Between the two groups, there are about 450 chamber members.
Board members from the two chambers voted unanimously to consolidate into one organization at a meeting last week.
The new group does not yet have a name, said Codner, but it’s working to create inclusive branding to truly represent who the chamber says it is.
With the new arrangement, the chamber hopes to have a more collaborative approach to business advocacy.
Under the chamber’s Government Advocacy platform, it is forming a committee to focus on the needs of the Route 1 business community. The panel will help the chamber to align the needs of Route 1 businesses with those of the Greater Boston area and needs that are unique to each.
A Workforce Development platform will include Lunch & Learn seminars for members to learn about various topics.
The merger is about “eliminating the invisible lines on a map and really looking at ourselves as a region,” said Codner.
