Highland Park Chamber Of Commerce, Inc.

What Highland Park Chamber Of Commerce, Inc. does

Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1911 and headquartered at 508 Central Avenue, Suite 202, Highland Park, Illinois. It serves more than 850 businesses across nine distinct retail districts in Highland Park and the broader North Shore Illinois communities of Deerfield, Glencoe, Lake Bluff, and Lake Forest, where the local market includes more than 30,000 residents. The Chamber's core function is to connect local employers, retailers, professional services firms, restaurants, and nonprofits through structured networking (First Wednesday Meetings, Wine Stroll, monthly Wednesday breakfasts), advocacy representation on the Business & Economic Development Advisory Group, and recurring community events such as the annual Sidewalk Sale.

The Chamber's product portfolio is anchored by a five-tier annual membership program ($475 to $6,500), augmented by corporate sponsorships ($1,000 to $10,000) delivered through the Connecting Commerce with Community alliance with Highland Park Community Foundation, a Workforce Development Initiative with TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804, and marketing opportunities spanning blog features, the 'Discover HP' Magazine, and 20+ Ravinia Festival digital kiosks. Its underlying technology stack is the GrowthZone chamber management platform, which powers the member directory, event registration, job postings, and the business.chamberhp.com portal, with Constant Contact handling email marketing automation. The organization is led by President & CEO Michelle Friedman and governed by a Board of Directors (Chair Stacy Raven, Vice Chair Matt Phillips, Treasurer Bruce Erickson, Past Chair James Lynch), supported by Marketing Manager Andrea Barattini.

The Chamber's revenue model is a diversified mix of subscription recurring streams (membership dues and HPCF corporate sponsorships), transaction-based event revenue (event registrations, Sidewalk Sale booth fees), and advertising income (blog features, magazine ads, website placement, Ravinia kiosk promotions). GTM is community-led and event-driven: acquisition flows through in-person networking and member referrals, supplemented by sales outreach from the President & CEO and a self-serve website application. Go-to-market is reinforced by affiliate partnerships with SCORE North Cook & Lake Counties, Constant Contact, the City of Highland Park, and regional associations including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, ACCE, and IACCE, alongside credibility affiliations with BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois and the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center.

Name

Highland Park Chamber Of Commerce, Inc.

Legal name

Highland Park Chamber Of Commerce, Inc.

Website

https://chamberhp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Highland Park Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit serving 850+ businesses in Highland Park and the North Shore Illinois region through tiered annual memberships, networking events, corporate sponsorships, advocacy, and workforce and community development partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Highland Park

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees across five tier levels provide core operational funding. Tiers range from $475 (Tier 1) to $6,500 (Tier 5) annually, offering progressive benefits including networking access, advertising credits, and advocacy representation.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorship revenue through Connecting Commerce with Community partnership with Highland Park Community Foundation. Five sponsorship levels from Supporter ($1,000) to Builder ($10,000) annually.
3. Event Revenue: Revenue from event registrations, booth fees at community events like the annual Sidewalk Sale, and sponsored event partnerships.
4. Marketing Services: Marketing opportunities including blog features, magazine advertising, website placement, and Ravinia Festival digital kiosk promotions offered to members and sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Highland Park Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership organization that sells tiered business memberships (Tier 1 at $475 to Tier 5 at $6,500 annually) to local employers across the North Shore Illinois region. It also sells corporate sponsorship packages (Supporter $1,000 to Builder $10,000 annually) under the Connecting Commerce with Community program jointly operated with the Highland Park Community Foundation, bundling networking events, marketing exposure, advocacy representation, and workforce development programs.

Product overview

The Highland Park Chamber of Commerce operates as a membership-based organization offering a unified portfolio centered on the Chamber Membership Program. The core offering consists of value-based membership tiers providing networking, advocacy, and business development benefits. Supporting programs include Marketing Opportunities for event sponsorship and advertising, the Connecting Commerce with Community initiative (a joint program with the Highland Park Community Foundation), and the Workforce Development Initiative creating hiring pipelines. The Chamber also facilitates member access to Constant Contact marketing tools and organizes community events including the annual Sidewalk Sale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% more favorable consumer perception for chamber members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Highland Park Community Foundation (HPCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship alliance between the Chamber (501(c)(6)) and HPCF (501(c)(3)) through the 'Connecting Commerce with Community' program. Enables businesses to simultaneously pursue business objectives and address community social issues including food insecurity, housing challenges, childcare access, and senior support. Provides corporate sponsors access to benefits from both organizations and recognition across marketing channels.
• Constant ContactcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEmail and event marketing solution partnership providing Chamber members with 10% additional discount when prepaying for 6 or 12 months. Provides access to Facebook and Instagram Ads integration, email marketing automation, ecommerce tools, and Leadpages integration.
• TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce Development Initiative partnership connecting young adults with disabilities to employers through a vetted hiring pipeline. Serves 18 public school districts in northern Chicago suburbs. Provides businesses access to diverse talent pool with potential for increased productivity, employee morale, and healthier culture. Benefits students through vocational training and professional skills development.
• SCORE North Cook & Lake CountiesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFree business counseling and mentorship services available to Chamber members through SCORE association. Jim Axelrad serves as SCORE representative on Chamber Board.
• Chicagoland Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional chamber affiliation providing access to broader business network and advocacy resources at the metropolitan level.
• BBB of Chicago and Northern IllinoisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness partner providing credibility and trust verification for Chamber and member businesses. Chamber holds BBB Business Review accreditation.
• Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) International Trade CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership providing international trade resources and business development support through College of Lake County.
• City of Highland ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership supporting economic development initiatives and business community coordination.
• Visit Lake CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism partnership promoting Highland Park as destination for shopping, dining, and recreation.
• IACCE (Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership providing Chamber staff with industry resources, best practices, and peer networking.
• ACCE (American Chamber of Commerce Executives)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association membership providing Chamber leadership with professional development and chamber industry advocacy resources.
• Small Business Advocacy CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting small business interests and advocacy at regional level.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Constant Contact: Email and event-marketing platform partner offering Highland Park Chamber members a 10% prepayment discount; a marketing-services vendor rather than a chamber competitor, but increasingly a substitute for some networking and outreach functions.
• SCORE: National nonprofit that provides free business mentorship to SMBs through a partnership with the Highland Park Chamber (SCORE North Cook & Lake Counties); an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct chamber competitor.
• BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois: Regional Better Business Bureau that grants the Highland Park Chamber its accredited business review; a parallel trust-and-credibility membership organization serving the same North Shore SMB market.
• American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE): National professional association for chamber executives and staff, of which Highland Park Chamber is a member; an ecosystem/infrastructure peer rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Evanston Chamber of Commerce: North Shore-adjacent suburban chamber with similar small-staff, tiered-membership, event-driven operating model directly comparable to Highland Park Chamber.
• Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce: Another affluent Chicago suburb chamber running a tiered membership, networking events, and community advocacy model directly comparable to Highland Park Chamber in size and operating approach.
• Lake Forest / Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce: Neighboring North Shore chamber explicitly mentioned in Highland Park Chamber's geographic reach; nearly identical suburban business-community membership and events model.

Broad incumbents

• Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber serving the broader Chicago metro with the same 501(c)(6) membership, advocacy, and event model as Highland Park, but at a much larger geographic and member scale; explicitly listed as a regional affiliate partner of Highland Park Chamber.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: National federation of chambers of commerce with identical mission (advocacy, networking, member services) but operating at federal scope and far larger scale than Highland Park Chamber.
• Illinois State Chamber of Commerce: Statewide business association that Highland Park Chamber is connected to through regional chamber affiliation; operates the same membership-and-advocacy model but at state legislative scope rather than a single suburb.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HighlandParkChamberofCommerce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highland-park-illinois-chamber-of-commerce
• Instagraminstagram.com/hpchamber

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 Highland Park Chamber Of Commerce, Inc.