Washington County Chamber of Commerce

What Washington County Chamber of Commerce does

Washington County Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership organization headquartered at 1646 Washington Street in Blair, Nebraska, serving Washington County and six surrounding communities (Blair, Fort Calhoun, Arlington, Herman, Kennard, and adjacent areas). The Chamber's stated mission is to promote, lead, and connect local businesses, with a complete focus on identifying and delivering programs and initiatives that prepare members for community and economic opportunities. It is governed by a Board of Directors (President Melanie Kaeding, Vice President Maggie Smith, Treasurer Chad Leggott, Secretary Alicia Koziol, and additional board members) and operated by two paid staff: Chamber Director Niki Ferguson and Marketing and Office Administrator Charyl Chappelear.

The Chamber's core offering is a tiered membership program with seven pricing levels — Introductory ($150/year), Bronze ($250), Silver ($500), Gold ($1,000), Platinum ($2,000), Diamond ($4,000), and a top Community Pillar tier — that scale benefits from basic directory listings through board seats, e-blasts, event sponsorships, and Leadership Washington County participation. Members receive business referrals, website and social media visibility, networking events (Business After Hours, Coffee & Connections, ribbon cuttings), committee voice, job postings, document shredding, and meeting space access. The Chamber runs a 9-month Leadership Washington County development program, an Ambassador volunteer program for member retention and recruitment, and an annual Washington County Fair. Technology is limited to the third-party Membee Complete platform powering the website, member accounts, and the public business directory of 243+ member organizations across 60+ categories.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual membership dues, event fees and sponsorships (Wine Walks, golf outings, street dances, Brews events, Pack the Park activities), Leadership program tuition, job posting fees, and ancillary services. The Chamber holds no patents, discloses no revenue, and has no venture or private equity ownership. Its strategic economic development activity is conducted in partnership with Gateway Development Corporation (a separate 501(c)(3) founded in 1989) and, since 2002, the Greater Omaha Chamber and adjacent regional EDCs.

Name

Washington County Chamber of Commerce

Legal name

Washington County Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://washingtoncountychamberne.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership organization headquartered in Blair, Nebraska, serving 243+ member businesses across six communities in Washington County through tiered membership programs, networking events, business referrals, and the Leadership Washington County development program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Blair

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Tiered membership program with annual dues ranging from $150 for introductory members to $4000 for diamond members, plus top-tier Community Pillar membership. Benefits scale with tier level including business referrals, marketing visibility, networking access, and event participation.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from Chamber events including Wine Walks, Business After Hours, Coffee & Connections, and annual events. Members receive varying levels of event discounts and sponsorship opportunities based on membership tier.
3. Member Services: Additional revenue from job postings, document shredding services, meeting space rental, and Leadership Washington County program fees. Platinum and Diamond members receive free or discounted access to various services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Washington County Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit membership association that connects and supports local businesses and community organizations. It provides annual memberships, business referrals, directory and social-media visibility, networking events, committee advocacy, community programs, job-posting access, and leadership-development activities.

Product overview

Washington County Chamber of Commerce operates as a membership-based organization offering a tiered membership structure (Introductory through Community Pillar) with benefits including business referrals, visibility through website listings and social media, networking opportunities, and event access. The Chamber provides core services including a Business Directory with over 200 member listings across diverse industries, a Job Postings platform, Events programming (wine walks, golf outings, street dances, fairs), a Leadership Washington County 9-month development program, and an Ambassador Program for member volunteer engagement. The organization partners with Gateway Development Corporation for regional economic development initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chamber Membership Annual Chamber membership for Washington County businesses and organizations, providing business referrals, website and social-media visibility, networking-event access, committee participation, and community advocacy.
• Business Directory Online searchable directory of member businesses organized by category, with more than 200 listings across industries including agriculture, automotive, construction, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and professional services.
• Leadership Washington County Nine-month leadership-development program for emerging leaders that combines seminars, tours, and networking across government, law, health, agriculture, business, nonprofit, and education topics.
• Job Postings Online job board through which Chamber members can advertise freelance, full-time, internship, part-time, and temporary employment opportunities.
• Events Chamber-organized and sponsored community and networking events, including Wine Walks, U-Pick events, golf outings, street dances, fairs, and business networking activities.
• Document Shredding Member service for document shredding, with free or discounted access provided to Platinum and Diamond members.
• Meeting Space Rental Rental of Chamber meeting space, with free or discounted access available to higher-tier members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 243+ member businesses across diverse categories in the Washington County area
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Gateway Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Founded in 1989, Gateway Development Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development organization serving Washington County. In 2002, Gateway formed a partnership with the Greater Omaha Chamber to work alongside regional economic development partners including Sarpy County EDC, Cass County Nebraska EDC Council, Greater Fremont Development Council, and Advance Southwest Iowa for regionalized economic development efforts.
• Greater Omaha ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development partnership formed in 2002 to provide seamless regionalized economic development services for the Greater Omaha Metro area including Washington County.
• Gateway Development Corporation StaffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGateway Development Corporation is staffed by Mike Rooks (Executive Director, [email protected]) and Janelle Taylor (Project Manager Coordinator, [email protected]), working to serve as a catalyst for economic development and quality growth in Washington County.
• RVR BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerRVR Bank serves as the presenting sponsor of the Leadership Washington County program. RVR Bank is a locally owned bank with $465+ million in assets and six locations in Fremont, Arlington, and Blair, Nebraska. Named as Diamond-level Chamber member.
• CargillflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCargill is a major employer and long-term Chamber member (nearly 10 years) with operations in Washington County. Sponsors Leadership Washington County program and hosts class visits. Community Pillar member.
• Memorial Community Hospital & Health SystemflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor healthcare provider in the region and Community Pillar Chamber member. Participates in Leadership Washington County program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry: State-level Chamber of Commerce representing Nebraska businesses. Focuses on advocacy and policy rather than local networking, but member businesses often join both state and local Chambers — direct overlap with Washington County Chamber members.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: National Chamber representing the broader U.S. business community. Operates similar advocacy, networking, and member-service functions at national scale, and is the umbrella organization of which local Chambers are affiliates.
• Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce: Larger regional Chamber serving the Omaha metro area. Washington County Chamber partners directly with it for regionalized economic development, and it operates the same core model (membership tiers, events, advocacy, business directory) at a larger scale.
• Lincoln Chamber of Commerce: Major Nebraska Chamber serving the state's capital city. Operates the same Chamber core (tiered membership, events, advocacy, leadership programs) but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Regional players

• Cass County Nebraska Chamber of Commerce: Neighboring Nebraska county Chamber and explicit partner in the regional economic development coalition with Washington County Chamber. Highly comparable rural Nebraska Chamber model.
• Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce: Nearby Nebraska Chamber serving the Fremont/Dodge County area. Operates similar tiered membership, business directory, and community event programming. RVR Bank has locations in both Fremont and Blair, indicating overlapping member base.
• Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce: Neighboring county Chamber in Nebraska that is part of the same regional economic development partnership as Washington County Chamber. Offers directly comparable membership, events, and advocacy services for Sarpy County businesses.
• Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional Nebraska Chamber serving Norfolk and surrounding rural counties. Comparable mid-size rural Chamber with membership tiers, business directory, and community events analogous to Washington County Chamber.

Direct peers

• Gateway Development Corporation: Closely affiliated 501(c)(3) economic development organization founded in 1989 to serve Washington County. Operates in the same geography with overlapping member base and is the Chamber's primary partner for economic development — effectively a sister organization.

Others

• Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE): Industry association for Chamber of Commerce executives and staff. Provides training, benchmarks, and resources — comparable in that it serves the Chamber ecosystem, though not a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WashCoNECoC
• Facebookfacebook.com/WashingtonCountyChamberNE

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Washington County Chamber of Commerce