When you think about what makes a community thrive, you often start with its people: entrepreneurs, employees, educators, public leaders, and nonprofit champions. But behind the scenes, organizations like chambers of commerce quietly shape the environment that allows those people and businesses to flourish.

In Eagle County and across the Vail Valley, the Vail Valley Partnership has spent decades connecting local businesses, supporting workforce development, and advocating for policies that strengthen our economy - not as an abstract idea, but in ways that affect our daily lives. Ask people in Eagle, Avon, or Vail what a chamber of commerce does, and most will pause before vaguely mentioning business networking or ribbon cuttings.

Here’s the interesting part: even with limited understanding, people overwhelmingly believe chambers matter. According to the research, 81% of U.S. adults say their local chamber is a trusted partner for businesses, and 90% believe chambers have a real impact on growing the local economy. That gap between low familiarity and high perceived value describes the experience in Eagle County. People may not see everything the chamber does, but they feel the outcomes daily.

You see it in the stability of our business community, in coordinated approaches to workforce and housing challenges, in strong tourism management, and in the collective voice of local businesses being heard in Denver and Washington, DC. The research also highlights an important point: people want to know more. Seventy percent of adults say they wish they better understood the role and impact of chambers in their communities. That’s a healthy instinct. It encourages transparency, clarity, and a better understanding that chambers today are not simply “business clubs” but community and economic development organizations with a broad public mission.

The value isn’t abstract. For local businesses, the data is striking. When people know a business belongs to its chamber, they view it more favorably, are more likely to recommend it, and are more inclined to buy from it. In a small community like ours, where trust, reputation, and local loyalty are everything, that matters. Chamber membership signals something to customers: this business shows up, contributes, and invests in the well-being of the valley.

The broader community impact is just as important. Nearly three-quarters of Americans recognize that chambers help create jobs, promote community development, and play a key role in addressing local challenges. Those findings mirror what we see in Eagle County. When we talk about workforce housing, childcare, career pathways, transportation solutions, or air service development, we aren’t simply talking about “business issues.” We’re talking about fundamental community outcomes: whether people can live here, raise families here, and build a future here. Strong chambers help align the public, private, nonprofit, and education sectors around shared goals because no single group can make progress alone.

That spirit of collaboration is one of the hallmarks of the Vail Valley. And it’s also part of why the Vail Valley Partnership has been recognized three times as the national Chamber of the Year. The point isn’t self-congratulation; it’s understanding what that recognition means for a community like ours. National honors signal that Eagle County is considered a leader in workforce development, tourism management, regional collaboration, and economic vitality. They mean our chamber brings home best practices from national and statewide partners. When your local chamber is plugged into national, state, and regional networks, the community benefits from deeper expertise and a stronger voice.

The ACCE/Harris research makes clear that people want chambers to focus on what truly matters: growing the economy, supporting local businesses, creating jobs, and addressing real-world community challenges. That aligns with the work ahead of us in Eagle County. Our economic landscape is complex. Our challenges - housing, workforce, transportation, childcare, affordability - are intertwined. The path forward requires broad partnership, pragmatic leadership, and the shared belief that the work is worth doing.

Chris Romer is president & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership, 3-time national chamber of the year. Learn more at VailValleyPartnership.com