Thurston County Chamber of Commerce

What Thurston County Chamber of Commerce does

Thurston County Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) business league founded in 1874 and headquartered in Olympia, Washington, serving local businesses and professionals across Thurston County (Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater). The organization celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024 and is governed by a Board of Trustees with David Schaffert as President/CEO, supported by staff spanning workforce operations (Megan Fiess, VP), public policy (Doug Mah), and program delivery (Elizabeth Bretschneider among others).

The Chamber's product portfolio centers on five interconnected lines: (1) membership services with a GrowthZone-powered member portal offering directory, job listings, and member-to-member deals; (2) workforce development programs including Digital Literacy, WorkEx Military, Olympia Career Hub, and Career Preparation for Manufacturing and Construction; (3) leadership and professional development through Thurston Young Professionals and Leadership Thurston County; (4) equity and entrepreneurship programs via South Sound BIPOC and the Small Business Incubator; and (5) advocacy/public policy in coordination with the Thurston Economic Development Council and municipal partners. Annual signature events include A Night on the Town, Foofaraw, Find Your Future, Math For Life, Health Care Champions, Boss of the Year, and a newly added Fan Zone 2026. Publications include the monthly VOICE Magazine and an annual Buyer's Guide.

The Chamber's revenue model is membership-dues-driven with tiered annual subscriptions ranging from $460 (0-5 employees) to $1,375 (76-100 employees) plus a one-time $30 registration fee, supplemented by event sponsorships, program fees, foundation contributions, and publication revenue. Distribution is direct-to-business via a sales-led GTM with a regional self-serve online portal layer. Pricing is transparent and publicly disclosed at the tier level, while total revenue is not publicly reported. The Chamber's core technology is limited to standard chamber SaaS (GrowthZone) and an Issuu publication platform; no proprietary technology, AI capabilities, patents, or developer APIs are present.

Name

Thurston County Chamber of Commerce

Legal name

Thurston County Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://thurstonchamber.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1874

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thurston County Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit business league founded in 1874, serving Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater businesses through tiered membership dues, workforce development programs, advocacy, networking events, and leadership training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees based on company size (number of full-time employees). Tiers range from $460/year for 0-5 employees to $1375/year for 76-100 employees, plus $30 one-time registration fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit business membership organization serving Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater, Washington. It sells annual memberships to local businesses, granting access to networking events, workforce development programs, advocacy services, leadership development, publications (VOICE Magazine and Buyer's Guide), and member-to-member benefits. The Chamber also operates programs such as Thurston Young Professionals, Leadership Thurston County, Small Business Incubator, South Sound BIPOC, and Thurston Green Business.

Product overview

The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and services designed to build a prosperous economy and vibrant community in Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater, Washington. The Chamber provides workforce solutions (including Digital Literacy and Career Hub programs), professional networking groups (Thurston Young Professionals, Capital Networking), and business development support (Leadership Thurston County, Small Business Incubator, South Sound BIPOC). Member benefits include a searchable directory, member-to-member deals, and publications including the monthly VOICE Magazine and annual Buyer's Guide. The Chamber also operates advocacy and public policy programs and hosts annual signature events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chamber Membership Annual membership for businesses and professionals in Thurston County, providing access to networking events, advocacy, member directory listings, member-to-member deals, job postings, and Chamber programs. Membership tiers range from $460/year (0-5 employees) to $1,375/year (76-100 employees), plus a one-time $30 registration fee.
• VOICE Magazine

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 92 community events annually including networking, professional development, and celebratory events
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• PacMtn Workforce GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership through WorkEx program connecting military community with workforce solutions. WorkEx Military helps transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses access employment opportunities and career development in Thurston County.
• South Sound BIPOCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Chamber Foundation supporting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) business professionals and entrepreneurs. Includes monthly roundtable meetings and BIPOC Business EXPO events.
• Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on regional economic development initiatives including shared legislative agenda, Young Child & Family Center project, and Budd Inlet Remediation project.
• North Thurston Public SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Young Child & Family Center project combining early learning center with public recreation facility in Lacey. Part of shared legislative agenda for capital budget funding.
• South Sound YMCAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Young Child & Family Center project providing developmentally appropriate activities for youth ages 3-5 and families.
• City of LaceymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Young Child & Family Center project and various community development initiatives. Part of Thurston Green Business program partners.
• Port of OlympiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Budd Inlet Remediation & Restoration project and economic development initiatives. Chamber supports Port's Vision 2050 plan.
• Thurston Green Business Program PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-partner sustainability initiative including City of Lacey, City of Olympia, City of Tumwater, The Evergreen State College, Intercity Transit, Port of Olympia, Puget Sound Energy, and Thurston Climate Action Team.
• City of OlympiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Chamber's advocacy efforts and economic development. Support for West Bay Yards project. Part of Thurston Green Business program.
• City of TumwatermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in economic development and gopher mitigation efforts. Recipient of 2022 Thurston Green Municipality of the Year.
• Saint Martin's UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Washington Vets to Technology (WaV2T) program for military community technology careers. Chamber supports veteran workforce development initiatives.
• South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on workforce development, Career Hub, and craft brewing/distilling programs. Chamber supports educational pathways for local workforce.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Washington State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: Statewide minority business chamber with parallel advocacy, networking, and BIPOC business-support programming. Comparable to Thurston's South Sound BIPOC initiative at greater scale.
• Greater Tacoma Chamber of Commerce: Direct regional peer — a nearby Washington State chamber providing identical membership-based business networking, advocacy, and workforce programming to Pierce County. Mirrors Thurston's tiered dues model and event-driven member engagement.
• Economic Alliance Snohomish County: Washington regional chamber/EIDC hybrid with overlapping advocacy, workforce, and economic-development functions. Comparable member-driven model and PAC-adjacent advocacy role.
• Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce: Regional Washington chamber serving a similarly sized mid-market metro area. Comparable member benefits, advocacy role, and event programming structure to Thurston.
• Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce: Washington's largest metropolitan chamber offering the same core membership model (tiered dues, advocacy, events, programs) at significantly greater scale. Comparable governance and revenue structure as a 501(c)(6).
• Yakima Valley Chamber of Commerce: Another Washington regional chamber serving a non-metro Pacific Northwest business community. Directly comparable in scale, mission, and recurring-dues revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE): The national trade association for chamber of commerce executives. Comparable as a membership-based business association serving chamber professionals, with a professional-development and certification angle analogous to Thurston's Leadership Thurston County program.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB) Pacific Northwest: A larger, established business-credibility membership organization operating on dues/sponsorship revenue. Comparable nonprofit membership GTM and trust-ratification positioning, though different core mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ThurstonChamber
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThurstonCountyChamber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thurston-county-chamber-of-commerce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thurston County Chamber of Commerce