EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AND DEMAND for expanded business services has driven the formation of a community chapter of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce in Deer Valley to help businesses in the area connect and give them a voice at city hall and with state government.

“Before there can be a business community, there needs to be a way for businesses to connect and share ideas, clients, challenges and successes,” explained Katie Pushor, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber already has more than 100 members in Deer Valley and it was time to localize more services and provide an identity for the business community by forming a chapter of the Chamber, just as has been done successfully in Anthem and the South Mountain Laveen areas.”

The Greater Phoenix Chamber has 4,000 members and is one of the largest chambers in the nation. It was founded in 1888 and has been instrumental in the growth of the Valley.

Pushor and Deer Valley area business and governmental leaders formed an Advisory Council last month to address the specific issues facing businesses in the community and determine how the Greater Phoenix Chamber should extend its resources to support them.

“All members of the Chamber will benefit from the growth of the Deer Valley community chapter,” she added. “Members join the chamber because they want to be exposed to businesses Valley wide, not just their immediate area. They also want support of a big organization when it comes to dealing with the government on issues like transportation.”

Issues selected for attention by the Advisory Council include transportation, employee housing and recruitment and how to build a sense of community in an area with an annual new business growth rate exceeding 20 percent.