Putnam County Chamber of Commerce

What Putnam County Chamber of Commerce does

Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 1915 and headquartered at 1100 Reid St, Palatka, Florida, serving as the principal business advocacy and economic development organization for Putnam County in Northeast Florida. The organization operates with a 1–10 employee footprint and serves 500+ member businesses distributed across Palatka, Crescent City, Interlachen, Welaka, and Pomona Park, with stated member retention exceeding 90% year-over-year. Its mission is the promotion of commerce, quality of life, and responsible development of business enterprise in the county.

The Chamber's product surface spans three functional areas: (1) membership services, including a searchable business directory, Business After Hours networking events, the Leadership Putnam program, member referrals, and advocacy representation; (2) tourism promotion, delivered through the Visit Putnam County Florida mobile application for iOS and Android, a tourism directory, video content on YouTube, and the "Visit Putnam FL" Instagram presence; and (3) tourism development funding, administered through the Tourist Development Council (TDC) Event Grant Program, which provides Festival/Event, Cultural Arts, and Sports grant tracks. All member-facing systems — directory, event calendar, join flow, and login — run on the GrowthZone membership management platform.

The Chamber's business model is funded by three revenue streams: recurring annual membership dues from local SMBs, event fees from programs such as Business After Hours and Leadership Putnam, and grant administration tied to the TDC Event Grant Program. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct outreach, networking referrals, and member-driven word-of-mouth rather than outbound demand generation. The Chamber holds US Chamber of Commerce Accreditation (2022), FACP Certified Plus status, Five-Star Accredited Chamber designation, and is a two-time Florida Association of Chamber Professionals Chamber of the Year recipient. It is governed by a board chaired by Benjie Bates, with the TDC chaired by Putnam County Board of County Commissioners Chair Leota Wilkinson.

Name

Putnam County Chamber of Commerce

Legal name

Putnam County Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://putnamcountychamber.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is a Palatka, Florida-based nonprofit founded in 1915 that supports 500+ local business members through advocacy, networking, tourism promotion, and economic development services, operating on the GrowthZone membership management platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Palatka

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 that provide networking, referrals, marketing exposure, and member benefits
2. Tourist Development Council Grants: TDC Event Grants program that supports initiatives attracting visitors, including Festival/Event Grants, Cultural Arts Grants, and Sports Grants
3. Event Fees: Revenue from events including Business After Hours, Leadership Putnam program, and community events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit local chamber of commerce that delivers membership-based services to local businesses, including advocacy, marketing exposure, a searchable business directory, networking events (Business After Hours), and the Leadership Putnam program. It also promotes tourism to Putnam County, Florida via the Visit Putnam County Florida mobile app, a tourism directory, destination marketing, and administration of the Tourist Development Council (TDC) Event Grant Program.

Product overview

The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce operates primarily as a membership organization and tourism promotion entity rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include membership services (directory listings, networking events, advocacy, and member benefits), a tourism promotion platform featuring the Visit Putnam County Florida mobile app, and event management services. The chamber utilizes the GrowthZone membership management platform to deliver its business directory, event calendar, member login, and contact management features. Additional services include TDC Event Grants for community events, Leadership Putnam programs, and economic development resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Directory A GrowthZone-powered online searchable directory of chamber member businesses, allowing visitors to find and connect with local enterprises by category.
• Event Calendar A calendar of chamber events including Business After Hours networking, community events, and member activities, hosted on the GrowthZone platform.
• Tourism Directory A searchable directory of tourism-related businesses including dining, accommodations, shopping, and entertainment options in Putnam County.
• TDC Event Grant Program A grant program administered through the Tourist Development Council supporting initiatives that attract visitors and enhance the community, including Festival/Event Grants, Cultural Arts Grants, and Sports Event Grants.
• Visit Putnam County Florida App A mobile application for iOS and Android that provides an interactive way to explore Putnam County, including hotels, restaurants, activities, shopping, and events, with category search, trip planning, and social/email/SMS sharing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consumers are 80% more likely to purchase from a Chamber member
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chandler ThinkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026Nationally recognized tourism research and strategy firm engaged to help develop brand identity and long-term tourism strategy for Putnam County
• Putnam CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner representing the county government, collaborates on economic development initiatives, and receives TDC recommendations for final approval
• Town of InterlachencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partner located in southern Putnam County
• City of PalatkacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary municipal partner and largest city in Putnam County, hosts Chamber headquarters
• Crescent CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner and community in southern Putnam County
• WelakacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner located along the St. Johns River in southern Putnam County
• Pomona ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner and community in southeastern Putnam County
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for wildlife management areas and conservation efforts including Caravelle Ranch WMA
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates Welaka National Fish Hatchery, the only national fish hatchery in Florida, supporting conservation and recreational fishing
• Florida State ParksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Ravine Gardens State Park and other state parks for tourism promotion
• Florida Trail AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners for trail development including access to Florida National Scenic Trail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alachua County / Gainesville Chamber of Commerce: North Central Florida county chamber providing membership services, advocacy, and economic development. Operates a similar small-team chamber model with university-area economic dynamics, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Flagler County Chamber of Commerce: Nearby Northeast Florida county chamber delivering membership services, advocacy, and tourism-related programming for Flagler County. Directly comparable as a small-county Florida chamber with a tourism component.
• Clay County Chamber of Commerce: Adjacent Northeast Florida county chamber providing membership dues, networking, advocacy, and economic development support to local SMBs. Directly comparable in scale, structure, and Florida-county focus.
• St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce: Neighboring Northeast Florida county chamber offering the same core mix of membership services, business advocacy, networking events, and tourism promotion for St. Johns County. Highly comparable in operating model and member profile.
• Lake City / Columbia County Chamber of Commerce: North Florida small-county chamber providing membership services, advocacy, and tourism promotion for Columbia County. Highly comparable in operating model, scale, and rural Florida chamber dynamics.

Regional players

• St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau: Regional tourism promotion entity for St. Johns County, FL — adjacent to Putnam. Comparable on the tourism-marketing and destination-promotion side of Putnam's portfolio (Visit Putnam), though organized as a tourism DMO rather than a chamber.

Broad incumbents

• Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce (JAX Chamber): Regional metro chamber serving the broader Jacksonville region; provides the same membership, advocacy, and economic-development functions as Putnam but at substantially larger scale and broader scope, serving as a broad incumbent.
• Visit Florida: Statewide tourism marketing organization for Florida. Comparable to Putnam's tourism-promotion function (Visit Putnam) but operates at statewide scale and is the broad incumbent in Florida destination promotion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/putnamcochamber
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCC8WNAOFAT0Dk0uN-SnZGhQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/PutnamCountyFL
• Instagraminstagram.com/visitputnamfl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/putnam-county-fl-chamber-of-commerce

Compliance2 records

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 Putnam County Chamber of Commerce