History

In the Beginning

Shelby County emerges as a growth center…

The Shelby County Chamber has a long and unique history of serving its members as business needs and conditions have evolved, both locally and statewide. The best way to follow the development of the Chamber and its predecessors is to understand the growth patterns in Shelby County, Alabama. A rural and basically untouched suburb of Birmingham, Shelby County began evolving into something different in the 1980’s. On the eastern edge, along the Highway 280 corridor, urban sprawl suddenly appeared and literally spilled out of Birmingham. Cutting through the center and to the westernmost Shelby County, Interstate 65 and Highway 31, the cities of Pelham, Alabaster, Calera and Helena have experienced the same dramatic growth which continues to meander southerly with pockets of developments sprawling in all directions.

The Chamber reinvents itself to keep pace…

Also in the early 1980s, leaders of two small chambers – The Pelham Area Chamber and the Alabaster Chamber – began discussion to merge the organizations. The merger and inclusion of Helena, plus the highly publicized growth of the North Shelby area, led to the creation of the North Shelby Chamber. As this newly created organization began growing, it also began developing yearly business plans designed to create programs and services to meet the demands of an increased membership base.

The Challenge…

By the late 1990s, leaders of the Chamber were faced with keeping the status quo, or dealing with growing concerns from members. In 1999, the North Shelby Chamber board members resolved to move forward. The Chamber felt it had to emphasize the benefit of Shelby County as a marketplace, promoting Shelby County as a great place to live and do business. The resulting Shelby County Chamber was now ready to address issues relating to education, transportation, strategic business development and government affairs through The Partnership to aggressively promote business and protect the qualities necessary for economic prosperity.

Fall of 2011…

The Shelby County Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the organization’s Business Plan for 2013. As a result of the Chamber’s recent ShelbyOne initiative, it is to expand its scope of programs and activities in several key areas – Business Support & Development, Community & Workforce Development and Governmental Relations.