Belmont Chamber of Commerce announces partnership

Amy Buckmaster, CEO of Chamber San Mateo County, said the transition would be similar to the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce in 2020. Anyone who is a Belmont member will transition to Chamber San Mateo County membership starting Jan. 1. The Belmont members will be grandfathered in with the same membership rate for at least a year before bringing them up to standard county membership. Buckmaster believes the agreement will help increase regionalization and give Belmont businesses a more prominent voice when working with cities and other agencies. Chamber San Mateo County would allow members access to more programs, committees and information, helping grow connections and partnerships with others in a region increasingly interconnected. A chamber of commerce acts as a liaison between the business community and government organizations, providing information on local, state and federal issues that could affect the community.

“An expanded partnership with Belmont will leverage the resources and importance of the subregional partnership of Redwood City, San Carlos and Belmont,” Buckmaster said. “Everything from shared advocacy related to housing, life science development, transportation, Caltrain electrification, realizing the benefits of Stanford [University] in Belmont, and many other policy priorities will result in a stronger local economy, critical community benefits, and an enhanced quality of life. All without sacrificing the identity or hyperlocal priorities of Belmont businesses.”

Belmont is not the only city on the Peninsula to recently form a new partnership with the largest chamber of commerce in the county. San Carlos Chamber of Commerce announced a partnership with Chamber San Mateo County in September 2020 due to income losses from events during the pandemic.

As part of the new partnership, a Belmont business committee will be created within the Chamber San Mateo County organization that will have Belmont board members and be chaired by Morrissey Parden. Buckmaster estimates around 200 new members will join. Chamber San Mateo County has more than 1,400 businesses and represents more than 85,000 employees.

“It’s going to be a great partnership,” Buckmaster said.

The two organizations have worked together for more than 30 years and became even closer during the pandemic, collaborating on different programs and election candidate forums. A working group consisting of Morrissey Parden and Jeff Smith of the Belmont Chamber Board and Buckmaster, Rosanne Foust and Mario Rendon from the Chamber San Mateo County Board initiated discussions earlier this year about a potential partnership between the two organizations.

Morrissey Parden said the decision had received unanimous support from the board members. The all-volunteer organization has been an essential part of the Belmont business community for decades, but Morrissey Parden believes the increased staffing from the new partnership will lead to quicker responses and help.

“I am thrilled we will now have the resources of staff to assist from Chamber San Mateo County,” Morrissey Parden said.

People can email amy@chambersmc.org for more information.