Chamber celebrating 100 years in 2024

The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce will celebrate 100 years of service to the community March 20, 2024. In honor of this milestone, Heritage Days 2024 will take place Wednesday, June 12 through Sunday, June 16, and focus on the contributions the Chamber has made to the community.

First organized as the Commercial Club July 2, 1902 by retail and industrial leaders of the city, according to the former Daily News Democrat, the Huntington County Chamber of Commerce of today is a direct link to those early forward thinkers. The first meeting took place at the Huntington Business university hall with approximately 50 of the “leading citizens” of Huntington joining together to form an organization whose purpose would be “to boom the city’s interests in every way possible.”

The decision to incorporate the Commercial Club of Huntington was made at a meeting held July 8, 1902 with yearly dues at $2. Membership was open to businessmen and all who were interested in the welfare of the city. The articles of incorporation were approved at a meeting held July 10, 1902, and a committee of W.A. Jones, C.A. Tolan, James Canfield, Michael Moore and J.A. Kintz were appointed to canvas the city for members.

By July 24, 1902 officers were elected with the first president of the 15 member board being R.I. Hamilton; first vice president, Adam L. Beck; second vice president, B.F. Biliter; secretary, W.A. Jones; assistant secretary, W.W. Hawley and treasurer, Charles McGrew. The papers of incorporation contained the names of 82 members and by August of that year there were 106 members.

A new constitution was adopted and on November 7, 1911, the Commercial Club became the Huntington Commercial Association as published in the Morning Times of the next day. 400 Huntington men gathered at the Eagles’ and Phi Delta Kappa fraternity club rooms for a banquet to promote the association which was to “deal with industrial affairs and promote any movement which has for its purpose the betterment of Huntington.”

The foundation of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce was laid on Monday, February 25, 1924 by a committee of 50 members of the Commercial Association. The group met at the K of C Hall. Letters of interest were mailed and a “big banquet” was planned for March 10 of that year. Jacob L. Brenn, acting secretary, stated in the Huntington Press, that the organization would be formed under purely democratic provisions, that class or creed be discouraged under any and all circumstances and that all local business and professional men as well as employees of the local business and industrial enterprises were given every opportunity to affiliate.

Over 400 men and women attended the banquet on March 10, and The Huntington Press of Friday, March 14, 1924 reported that 472 members were enrolled in the new Huntington Chamber of Commerce when the membership drive closed on March 13. On March 20, 1924, the name of the Commercial Association was changed to the Chamber of Commerce of Huntington with Donald Purviance, president. On March 20, 1934 the Chamber of Commerce was incorporated as a non-profit organization under the laws of the State of Indiana. Its goal was to facilitate the work of improving the industrial and retail life of the city, stimulate transportation, commerce, agriculture and other varied pursuits.

The first meetings of what became the Chamber took place in one of the buildings located near 15 West Market Street, in the “Lesh block.” In the 1930s and 1940s, the office was located in the Hotel LaFontaine. Later in the former UB Building on Franklin Street, the Community State Bank building, the corner of West Park Drive and Poplar Street, 12 West Market Street, 305 Warren Street and currently at 40 East Franklin Street in the restored UB Block since April 1, 2020.

One of the first Chamber efforts included Sunken Gardens. What was an old stone quarry was acquired by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntington and transformed into Sunken Gardens. The gardens were then transferred to the City of Huntington in 1924. The Chamber’s original newsletter was known as Huntington First, Bulletin of The Chamber of Commerce of Huntington.

Following World War II, the Chamber served as an administrative office for veteran’s housing. During 1947 the Chamber organized the Community Chest of Huntington County, the forerunner of the United Way. It also organized the “Farmer’s Achievement Fish Fry” that brought some 1,600 businessmen and farmers together which supported the beginnings of 4-H.

The Chamber Huntington County Industrial Show began in 1953 in the Community Gym of Central School. This eventually became the familiar Business EXPO in the 1990s that took place at the Huntington University fieldhouse. Industrial development became the focus of the 1960s and the Huntington Industrial Park on the east side involved the Chamber. The Chamber also secured funds for improvements to the Huntington Municipal Airport.

Heritage Days began in 1963 under the direction of a steering committee of the Chamber in conjunction with downtown businesses. Heritage Days was first organized by the Huntington County Heritage Days Association, which had disbanded, and the Chamber learned that Heritage Days would not continue unless it assumed the leadership role.

The Chamber also aided in the development of Huntington Plaza which was dedicated May 1, 1963. The first store to open was Kroger’s on March 13 followed by Super X, April 1; Guarantee Auto, April 3; W.T. Grant, April 18 and Juergens Paint and Wallpaper also on April 18.

In 1965 two major projects began that also involved the Chamber. The Huntington Dam and Reservoir, now known as Roush Lake, and the four-lane U.S. 24 by-pass changed the direction of development in the County of Huntington forever.

The Chamber oversaw the Riverfork Development Co., Inc. in 1968. Approximately 250 acres of land were purchased at the intersection of Old Andrews Road and Indiana 9 and 37 for the beginnings of the original industrial park. The Chamber also began the Annual Parade of Homes and the first “Chief of the Flint Springs Tribe” was recognized.

The Chamber sponsored the dedication of the Huntington Lake (now Roush) and Dam in 1971, and Hunckler Products became the first resident in the Riverfork Industrial Park. Riverfork Development dissolved in 1979 and the Chamber helped to form Lime City Economic Development Corporation. The cooperative effort between public and private sectors worked, and by 1984 infrastructure in Riverfork was complete.

The 1990s saw a growing economy in Huntington that created new jobs, housing and commercial development. The Chamber’s Business/Education Collaborative realized that providing new training opportunities for the workforce was essential. This has led to an ongoing effort by the Chamber to encourage Life Long Learning, which spearheaded the formation of the Huntington County Community Learning Center opening on September 15, 2016 with an expansion completed September 2021.

The Chamber is a satellite office for the Northeast Indiana SCORE chapter. SCORE is a non-profit resource partner of the United States Small Business Administration. It is a resource for small businesses needing confidential business advice and provides one-on-one mentoring in person and online. Business mentors for SCORE are volunteers who have expertise in a variety of industries to provide help to small business owners or those looking to start a business.

The Chamber also works to bring businesses and the community together through the Annual Dinner, Huntington County Coffee Connections, Entrepreneurial Leadership Council and entrepreneurial gatherings, Leaders EDGE, A B.I.G. Day Golf Outing and Chamber After Hours. It is also a part of Constitution Day each year, assists in organizing the Veterans Day Parade, was a part of the recent 175th anniversary celebration of the City of Huntington and helped to begin the development of the now complete Hoosier Heartland Corridor (900N).

The Veterans’ Memorial at Memorial Park was developed and funds were raised for construction of the monuments through Chamber efforts. Huntington’s Farmers Market was begun in 2013 and continues to be overseen each week by the Chamber. The Bicentennial celebration of the State of Indiana in 2016 in Huntington was organized by the Chamber. Christmas in the City and Music in the City are also coordinated by the Chamber.

The mission of the Chamber has continued through the years with the statement, “The mission of the Huntington County Chamber of Commerce is to support and promote a community atmosphere in which business prospers and the quality of life continually improves.” Steve Kimmel is the current executive director of the Chamber and Angie Garcia is the office administrator. For more information about Heritage Days 2024 contact the Huntington County Chamber of Commerce at (260) 356-5300 or email skimmel@huntington-chamber.com.