Salem Street Business Association Eyes Merger with Chamber

– Allison Goldsberry

The Salem Street Business Association, a potent force in Medford’s business community for nearly twenty-five years, is considering a merger with the Medford Chamber of Commerce.

According to Betsy Lister, an insurance agent and SSBA president since 2006, members voted at their June 26 meeting to fold into the Chamber if no one steps up to help run the organization.

The SSBA is an all-volunteer organization that counts on its members to fill leadership positions and take charge in activities such as running scholarships, planning events, collecting dues, and producing newsletters and membership directories.

It has been a challenge to get members to take on all of that work while they are busy running businesses of their own.

“It’s been harder to find people to man the post.  People are more wrapped up in their businesses,” said Lister.

Lister sees joining forces with the Chamber as an opportunity that makes sense, since the Chamber has steadily added new members in the past few years, many of which already belong to the SSBA.

Chamber Executive Director Cheryl White said she is excited about the prospect of the merger because it would “strengthen the Chamber’s position as a business organization” by making it “very competitive” in size.

While the SSBA used to boast more members than the Chamber, with businesses from all over Medford and neighboring communities, the Chamber now has over 300 members, compared to 142 in the SSBA.

White said the Chamber has been aggressively courting new members from all corners of Medford and has added 110 new members since she took charge over two years ago.

“My goal was to get all the city’s business pockets in the Chamber.  We’ve been working hard to do that,” said White.

There is overlap in both members and leadership between the two organizations, and according to White, the Chamber stands to gain about 100 new members through the merger.

“The SSBA will certainly be well-represented.  We don’t want them to feel like they’re the new kid on the block.  We want them to feel from the get-go that they’re one of us,” said White.

Membership in the Chamber, part of an international organization, includes benefits such as group insurance rates, networking events, a speakers’ series, a quarterly newsletter, inclusion in a membership directory, and a helping hand in dealing with city government.

Lister said the SSBA will make a final decision on the merger at its fall meeting in September.  The idea could be put on hold if members step up to run the organization when Lister’s presidency ends in December.