Pleasure Island Chamber

What Pleasure Island Chamber does

Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, membership-based Chamber of Commerce serving local businesses and the tourism economy of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher in coastal North Carolina. Originally founded in 1937 as the Carolina Beach Chamber of Commerce by Robert Cronly Plummer — son of Carolina Beach's first mayor — the organization was rebranded to its current name in the 1970s when the "Pleasure Island" moniker was adopted to unify the five adjacent beach communities under a single chamber identity. The Chamber operates from a single office inside Carolina Beach Town Hall at 1121 N. Lake Blvd, staffed by 6 full-time employees led by Executive Director Jim DeGilio and supported by a 13-member Board of Directors that includes the Mayor of Carolina Beach and a Kure Beach Commissioner as formal town liaisons.

The Chamber's core service portfolio centers on a searchable online Member Directory, categorized sub-directories (Lodging/Travel/Tourism, Food Scene, Sports/Recreation, Shopping), signature recurring events (Carolina Beach Music Festival, Cape Fear Kite Festival, Pets in the Park, Pop & Shop, Restaurant Week, Wave Awards, Blakeslee Concert Series, Carolina Beach Centennial), member engagement programs (Chamber Ambassadors, Women's Empowerment Network, Marketing and Technology committees), and visitor-facing digital tools including the Local Sunshine Digital Map Guide and a Square-powered Ticket Shop. Underlying technology is standard off-the-shelf — a public website, a member management portal, the third-party Local Sunshine map application, and Square's ticketing platform — with no proprietary systems identified.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual membership dues from local SMBs (hotels, restaurants, retail, recreation, real estate, professional services), supplemented by event ticket revenue and member event sponsorships (WXG79DDL9NU/). Pricing for membership tiers is not publicly disclosed, and the organization does not release financial statements as a non-profit chamber. The Chamber is independent, with no parent company, no venture or private equity backing, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Pleasure Island Chamber

Legal name

Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://pleasureislandnc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit Chamber of Commerce serving local businesses and tourism across Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher, North Carolina since 1937, delivering a member directory, signature community events, visitor marketing, and networking programs funded by membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carolina Beach

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from local businesses providing access to member directory, networking events, ambassador program, and chamber advocacy services.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, membership-based chamber of commerce serving local businesses and the tourism economy of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Its core offerings include an annual membership program for businesses, a searchable online Member Directory, signature community events, categorized tourism directories (lodging, dining, recreation), a Digital Map Guide for visitors, and advocacy on behalf of the local business community. Membership dues fund operations, and the Chamber supplements income through event ticketing, an online ticket shop, and event sponsorships.

Product overview

Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce operates as a membership-based organization serving the business community of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Founded in 1937, the Chamber provides a portfolio of programs and services centered around its searchable Member Directory, community event management, and member engagement initiatives. The Chamber's digital presence includes a Member Directory for local business discovery, a Local Sunshine Digital Map Guide for visitor navigation, and an online Ticketing Shop powered by Square for event management. Core programming includes signature events such as the Carolina Beach Music Festival, Pets in the Park, Pop & Shop, Restaurant Week, Cape Fear Kite Festival, Wave Awards, and the Blakeslee Concert Series. Member support services encompass the Chamber Ambassadors Program, Women's Empowerment Network (WEN) committee, and various marketing and technology committees. The Chamber also maintains categorized business directories covering lodging/tourism, food/beverage, sports/recreation, shopping, and other professional services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chamber Membership Program Annual membership program for local businesses on Pleasure Island (Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Fort Fisher) providing directory listing, networking events, ambassador support, committee participation, and promotional exposure through Chamber platforms.
• Member Directory A searchable online directory of Chamber member businesses, allowing visitors to search by category, location, and name to find local services and commerce on Pleasure Island.
• Signature Community Events Organization and promotion of signature events including the Carolina Beach Music Festival, Pets in the Park, Pop & Shop, Restaurant Week, Cape Fear Kite Festival, Wave Awards, and Carolina Beach Centennial, delivered for residents and visitors.
• Local Sunshine Digital Map Guide An interactive digital map application allowing visitors to explore Pleasure Island neighborhoods one at a time, with information about local businesses and attractions.
• Blakeslee Concert Series A concert series organized by the Chamber to support the local music community and provide entertainment for residents and visitors.
• Membership Benefits Program Benefits and resources provided to Chamber members including networking opportunities, committee participation, and promotional exposure through Chamber platforms.
• Chamber Ambassadors Program A volunteer program where designated ambassadors provide welcome and support to new Chamber members and assist with member engagement.
• Women's Empowerment Network (WEN) A Chamber committee and blog focused on women's professional empowerment and networking within the Pleasure Island business community.
• Online Ticket Shop An online ticketing platform powered by Square for purchasing tickets to Chamber-organized events and merchandise.
• Lodging, Travel & Tourism Directory A categorized listing of member businesses in the travel and tourism sector including hotels, motels, vacation rentals, real estate, and tour operators serving Pleasure Island visitors.
• Food Scene Directory A directory of Chamber member restaurants and food/beverage businesses organized by category including beer and wine, caterers, coffee shops, delis, seafood, grocery, and frozen desserts.

Named customers11 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

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce: Coastal North Carolina Chamber serving the Outer Banks tourism corridor. Closest functional analogue: beach-town reliance on tourism, SMB membership base, signature community events, and member directory model.
• Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce: Nearby coastal NC Chamber serving Topsail Island and Surf City. Similar small-staff, membership-based, tourism-dependent operating model with comparable event programming.
• Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce: Adjacent North Carolina county Chamber with overlapping coastal tourism economy and SMB membership base. Comparable in scope, governance (board-led), and reliance on events and tourism promotion.
• Wilmington Chamber of Commerce: Regional Chamber of Commerce serving the greater Wilmington NC area, including many of the same visitor-economy businesses that the Pleasure Island Chamber serves. Directly comparable in mission (business advocacy, tourism promotion, signature events) and membership model.
• Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce: Coastal NC Chamber serving Southport and Oak Island. Comparable in target member base (vacation rentals, hospitality, food service), tourism focus, and small-team operations.

Regional players

• Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional Chamber and CVB serving the larger Myrtle Beach tourism economy. Similar event-driven, hospitality-focused Chamber model but in a different state and at substantially larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• North Carolina Chamber of Commerce: Statewide Chamber of Commerce providing policy advocacy, legislative monitoring, and business services. Comparable in mission categories (advocacy, networking, education) but operates at state-wide scope and enterprise scale.
• Visit North Carolina: State-level tourism authority that markets NC destinations to domestic and international visitors. Operates at broader scale; Pleasant Island Chamber funnels engagement into Visit NC's statewide campaigns.

Others

• North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association: Industry association representing NC's hospitality and foodservice businesses. Provides advocacy and member services relevant to many Pleasure Island Chamber members (Hotels, restaurants), making it a thematic peer rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority: Destination marketing organization for the same Wilmington/Carolina Beach region. Overlaps significantly with Pleasure Island Chamber's visitor promotion and lodging directory functions, though funded by occupancy taxes rather than dues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pleasure-island-chamber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Pleasure Island Chamber