It was an evening of celebration, networking and a game of chance.
On Jan. 27, Chamber630 hosted its annual ball to celebrate its members, their support and their leadership.
The Boardwalk Ball, held at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville, was designed to support all the programs that Chamber630 holds throughout the year.
“The event brings chamber members together for a celebration of business success in the area,” said Laura Crawford, president and CEO of Chamber630.
Years ago, the former Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce had organized its Black & White Ball for its members to enjoy. When the chambers for Downers Grove and Woodridge merged three years ago, organizers changed the event’s name and decided to make it theme based.
This time around, the ball featured a Monopoly theme. In addition to providing a gift to each attendee, Chamber630 made a donation to one of four not-for-profit organizations in the name of the attendee.
“It’s a way to connect non-profits to business and vice versa,” Crawford said.
Donations were provided to several organizations, including Support Our Troops – America, West Suburban Community Pantry, Sharing Connections and Community Adult Day Center.
Other highlights at the event included a cocktail hour, four-course dinner, live music, dancing, raffles and giveaways.
Chamber630 prides itself on offering an array of programs throughout the year for its members. This includes the Attainable Futures Program for workforce readiness, the Chamber630 Scholarship, Young Professional Network, Women In Business, Hospitality630, Not-for-Profit Network, Manufacturers’ Roundtable, Legislative Impact Network Committee and others.
“As a chamber, our vision is as simple as our mission: the vision of Chamber630 is to be the best chamber of commerce,” Crawford said.
The event was open to Chamber630 members and their guests or future members. This year’s Boardwalk Ball brought in more than 150 attendees.
“The commonality all our members share is that they want to conduct business within the region,” Crawford said. “We offer these businesses top notch marketing opportunities, legislative advocacy, workforce development, and a connection to the residential and business communities of central DuPage County. Every member will find something for all businesses to embrace from one of the committees, networks or referral groups, website presence, annual publication, general membership luncheons, webinars, and a plethora of venues to make connections that create business.”
To date, Chamber630 is made up by approximately 700 members spanning more than 50 municipalities, 70 zip codes and 9 counties.
“Chamber630 is one of the largest business organizations in DuPage County,” Crawford said. “[Our membership] ranges from small, family-owned companies and start-ups to large international corporations and everything in between.”
Crawford said Chamber630 is cognizant of the many success stories it has played a part in over the years and said despite popular misconception, they are clearly focused on the organization’s mission, which is to serve “its members by providing and protecting economic opportunities essential to a successful enterprise.”