Great Bend Chamber of Commerce

What Great Bend Chamber of Commerce does

The Great Bend Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, membership-based organization founded c. 1920 in Great Bend, Kansas, serving local businesses and the broader Barton County community. It operates with 1-10 employees under the leadership of President Megan Barfield and CVB Director/Community Coordinator Christina Hayes, and is operationally linked to Great Bend Economic Development, Inc. Its core offering is a suite of member services including business advocacy, marketing and promotion, networking events, a member directory, relocation information, award programs (e.g., Annual Chamber Awards, 103rd edition held in 2024), and community programs such as Elevate GBK, FUEL Barton County, Chamber Solutions Health Plan, MFG Day, and the Great Bend Farm & Ranch Expo. The Chamber also produces recurring multimedia content through Chamber Coffee LIVE (Thursdays at 9:30am on Facebook and YouTube) and Chamber Chat (Mondays at 2pm).

The organization's underlying technology is minimal and consumer-grade: a Wix-hosted public website, a member portal/directory at members.greatbend.org, and standard social media channels (Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, X/Twitter). There are no proprietary technology products, APIs, AI/ML capabilities, or data assets disclosed. Strategic activity centers on convening economic development partnerships — most notably the 2017 public-private Great Bend Transload Facility ($7 million, 100+ acres) with the Kansas Dept. of Transportation, WATCO Companies, Sherwood Companies, Kansas Transload Services, Fuller Properties, and the City of Great Bend, along with support for local capital projects such as the Holiday Inn Express (2017), The Reserves at Trail Ridge workforce housing (Phase 1 2015, Phase 2 2017, 96 units total), and Clara Barton Medical Center's expanded clinic (2024).

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership dues, supplemented by event sponsorships and program participation. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no financial statements are available. There are no funding rounds, M&A activity, subsidiaries, or institutional investors; the Chamber is independently governed, likely by a Board of Directors, as an independent nonprofit. Customer concentration is inherently low given the distributed membership base of local businesses across multiple industries.

Name

Great Bend Chamber of Commerce

Legal name

Great Bend Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://greatbend.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Great Bend Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, membership-based organization founded c. 1920 that serves local businesses and the community in Great Bend, Kansas, through advocacy, networking, events, a member directory, and economic development partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Bend

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: The chamber operates as a membership-based organization offering benefits including advocacy for business, marketing and promotion services, investment opportunities, member services, networking, award programs, gift certificate program, and access to member directory and events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Great Bend Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based nonprofit organization that delivers business advocacy, marketing and promotion services, networking opportunities, and community development programs to local businesses in Great Bend and Barton County, Kansas. It operates member-only resources such as a business directory, events calendar, and an information center, alongside signature programs including Annual Chamber Awards, Chamber Solutions Health Plan, FUEL Barton County, and MFG Day.

Product overview

Great Bend Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based organization serving the Great Bend, Kansas business community. It does not offer technology products or services; instead, it provides business advocacy, networking programs, member directory services, events calendar, economic development initiatives, and community programs including Annual Chamber Awards, Chamber Solutions Health Plan, MFG Day, FUEL Barton County, Great Bend Farm & Ranch Expo, and various business support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chamber Membership Annual membership providing local businesses with advocacy, marketing and promotion, networking, member services, gift certificate program, award programs, and access to the member directory and events.
• Annual Chamber Awards Award program recognizing local businesses; 103rd Annual Awards Night and Banquet held March 1 at the Corinthians Hill Event Center. MPIRE Realty Group named 2024 Business of the Year.
• Chamber Solutions Health Plan Group health insurance program offered to member businesses through the Chamber.
• FUEL Barton County (formerly BCYP) Young-professionals and workforce development program previously known as BCYP, rebranded as FUEL Barton County.
• MFG Day #creatorswanted Manufacturing-day initiative promoting manufacturing careers and workforce awareness in Barton County.
• Elevate GBK Community and economic development initiative of the Great Bend Chamber.
• Chamber Gift Certificate Program Gift certificate program redeemable at participating Chamber member businesses.
• Emergency Response Initiatives Chamber-coordinated emergency response programs supporting the local business community during crises.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kansas Dept. of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic-private partnership for Great Bend Transload Facility project at Airport Industrial Park. $7 million infrastructure investment, 100+ acres, opened June 2017.
• WATCO CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail services partner for Great Bend Transload Facility. Part of public-private partnership including rail rehab and expansion.
• Sherwood CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Great Bend Transload Facility public-private partnership at Airport Industrial Park.
• Kansas Transload ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Great Bend Transload Facility project providing transload services.
• Fuller PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProperty partner in Great Bend Transload Facility public-private partnership.
• City of Great BendcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Great Bend Transload Facility and economic development initiatives.
• Great Bend Economic Development, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated economic development organization, linked as greatbend.org/economicdevelopment and gbedinc.com
• Marketing Maven ConsultingminorOthersSite created by Marketing Maven Consulting as noted in footer (copyright 2020).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lawrence Chamber of Commerce: Kansas regional chamber providing membership, advocacy, events, and economic development services to a mid-sized community — comparable scope and member-base profile.
• Hays Area Chamber of Commerce: Chamber serving a similarly-sized western Kansas community with analogous agricultural economic base, comparable event programming, and small-staff nonprofit structure.
• Salina Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional Kansas chamber with full-service member programs including advocacy, networking, and visitor/economic development functions — directly comparable GTM.
• Kansas Chamber of Commerce: Statewide Kansas business advocacy organization providing lobbying, policy, and member services; same dues-based model with overlapping member base in Barton County.
• Dodge City Area Chamber of Commerce: Chamber for a rural/agriculturally-anchored Kansas community, comparable in scale, programming mix, and economic-development orientation to Great Bend.
• Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce: The largest chamber in Kansas, offering advocacy, networking, and economic development services to member businesses — same nonprofit membership model and programming mix (awards, events, EDO functions), just at a far larger metro scale.
• Topeka Chamber of Commerce (GO Topeka): Topeka's combined chamber and economic development organization, directly comparable to Great Bend's 'Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development' dual structure.
• Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional Kansas chamber offering advocacy, networking, events, visitor services, and economic development programs — closely mirrors Great Bend's program breadth.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: National federation to which many local Kansas chambers affiliate for policy/advocacy support; broader scope and resources but overlapping mission on business advocacy.

Others

• Great Bend Economic Development, Inc. Affiliated local economic-development organization tied directly to the Chamber ('Great Bend Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development'); comparable mission on workforce, industrial attraction, and project facilitation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gbcoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9FF9QB631NlXDiWZ-1bO3w?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/gbcoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Great Bend Chamber of Commerce