The Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce has been named the fastest growing chamber with over 500 members in Canada.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, March 19 by the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada (CCEC).
CEO Carrie McEachran told Sarnia News Today she's thrilled.
"We were very surprised," she said. "The Canadian chambers did a survey on their membership growth. They do this on an annual basis. So, of course, we completed our survey at the end of 2024 and received this information just about a week ago and I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit shocked knowing that we've had tremendous growth here, however, there's quite a few chambers across Canada."
McEachran said being number one on the top ten list "reflects the hard work and unwavering commitment of the chamber team, volunteers and chamber champions in fostering innovation, collaboration, and community engagement."
"In 2024, we increased membership by just over 18 per cent," McEachran said. "So, I think businesses were coming out of COVID, we were starting programs up again, starting networking events up again, and there was just a sense that everybody wants to be out and supporting each other and getting their businesses up and going again. So, we've seen tremendous growth over the past couple of years."
McEachran said local businesses really realized the value of connection in the past few years.
"When you're either needing to close your doors, or you're needing to work from home, you really miss the opportunities to be out, and with other people, and supporting each other. So, the one thing I've really noticed about this business community in Sarnia-Lambton is everyone is just out to support each other and that's just such a great thing. We see that through the chamber all the time," she said.
McEachran said the award is especially welcomed this year as the local chamber, with 587 members, celebrates its 120 anniversary.
Meantime, neighbouring Huron Chamber of Commerce placed fourth on the list of top ten fastest growing chambers with less than 500 members in Canada.
Huron increased its membership by over 27 per cent in 2024.