WILMINGTON — The New Castle County Chamber of Commerce (NCCC) is embarking on a listening tour of its territory, in hopes to gain key insights of the unique challenges small and large businesses face in Delaware’s most populous county.
Entering her second year as the president of the NCCC, Yvonne Deadwyler and her team will be hosting meetings in Newark, Wilmington and Middletown to get a better sense of what business owners deal with on a day-to-day basis in their communities. Under her leadership, Deadwyler has hoped to build stronger relationships with the small business community, and the listening tour is a way to help fortify those bonds.
“The listening tours provide an invaluable opportunity for small business owners across all industries in New Castle County to share their needs and shape the support, and advocacy is essential for a thriving future,” she told the Delaware Business Times.
The NCCC is the third largest chamber in Delaware, with 1,000 members. Roughly 75% of its members are small businesses, or those with 50 employees or less. But it also includes some of Delaware’s largest members like DuPont, Chemours, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware, Bloom Energy, Chesapeake Utilities and more. The chamber’s membership spans as far south as the Middletown area.
As the chamber has grown over the years, it’s also served as a networking and advocacy arm of small businesses. Through its marquee events such as the economic forecast, state of the county, policymakers luncheons, it’s also offered a chance for Delaware business owners to meet the decision makers in the state as well as think about federal and state issues.
The listening tour, which will start in Newark and will conclude in Middletown, also aims to engage legislators and lobbyists to better support and inform small businesses. That’s because Deadwyler said that a “one size fits all” approach would have different implications on a restaurant in growing community like Middletown to a large corporation headquartered in Wilmington.
The NCCC is also conducting a survey for small business owners to help shape future initiatives that will support their success. The survey results will be used to inform discussions with policymakers, and the responses will be anonymous. Survey participants will be entered in a raffle for a $100 gift card.
The listening tour already kicked off on Wednesday, but continues at the following locations:
- January 15 at 9am in North Wilmington at the Siegel JCC
- January 15 at 1pm in the City of Wilmington at the NCCC
- January 29 at 9am in Middletown at the Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce
The survey can be taken at: http://business.ncccc.com/form/view/34668
