History
Since its inception in 1977, The Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce - one of the largest Chambers of Commerce in the Delaware Valley - has emerged as a major force in the southern New Jersey region. In fact, the Philadelphia Business Journal ranked the CHRCC as fifth largest in the region, based on fiscal budget.
As the voice of area businesses and the professional community, The Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce has taken a supportive interest in all issues concerning the economic well being of its members. The Chamber is currently the premier organization working to advance business interests within the community.
From the very beginning, the Chamber has been fortunate enough to have at the helm energetic and deeply committed board members. Their concerted energies have served as the source that motivates the entire membership.
As an independent cooperative for business, the CHRCC unites a diverse cross-section of the business community-at-large. These companies come from the tri-county market: Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties. The organization attracts businesses from outside the immediate area that want to build a profile and a client base in the greater Cherry Hill area. A mix of small, medium, and large businesses from virtually every profession are represented.
Today’s business climate requires that the CHRCC build a dynamic enterprise that is well-positioned to add benefits, programs, and services to maximize the opportunities for growth, prosperity and profit for each member business.
Our Founders The Cherry Hill Club was formed under the leadership of the late Terry Chigounis of the Greenbrier Inn and Whitney H. Carleton, II of the Carleton Insurance Agency, and born as a result of their concerns about the lack of a business and professional organization in our rapidly developing community.
It was the consensus of the club members that the best way to serve their business and professional community was to establish and duly incorporate a Chamber of Commerce affiliated with state and national Chambers.
On October 25, 1977, more than 250 business and community leaders gathered to celebrate the birth of The Cherry Hill Chamber of Commerce.
Because Cherry Hill is an economic hub community, the organization grew to include businesses in contiguous municipalities as well as businesses in the general Philadelphia region and beyond. As a result of our broader constituency, the name was modified to The Greater Cherry Hill Chamber of Commerce (GCHCC). As the organization continued to grow as a tri-county regional resource, and as the number of businesses outside showed interest in joining, it became necessary once again to modify the name. On January 1st, 1999, the Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce and it's new logo launched a new era of expansion.
Twenty eight charter members formed the nucleus of this organization, headed by Whitney H. Carleton, II, who served as first President; first Vice President Joseph Ochman, President of Interboro Savings and Loan; Vice Presidents Stanley Ravitz, Shop N’Bag; Howard Haas, Councilman, and former Cherry Hill Postmaster; Edward Borden, Sr., Borden Realty; and Treasurer George F. Leupold, Jr., Leupold, Financial Planning Associates Inc. The first executive director was Frances Burnstein.
Today Arthur C. Campbell, formerly a bank executive with Constellation Bancorp and a long time Cherry Hill resident, serves as President, along with Chairman of the Board, David Bannett of Bannett and Company CPA’s.
With over 900 active member businesses, the Chamber has made a significant positive impact on the community it serves, enhancing the environment for commerce and economic development in our region. As the premier business-to-business networking organization in our area, the Chamber has provided the setting for members to significantly increase their client base as well as their bottom line.