Chamber, EDC step closer to merging

Two heads aren’t necessarily better than one when it comes to economic development.

That’s the idea of two Spokane business groups as they prepare to merge their large nonprofits into one organization. It’s an effort leaders hope will allow them to better attract businesses and jobs to the area.

Officials from the Spokane Area Economic Development Council and the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that they’ve created a steering committee to explore just how they’ll merge.

“I think it’s clear that there will be one organization, one board,” said Jon Eliassen, president of the EDC. “Obviously, that’s the direction we’re going to go, is to create a single organization that has these separate business parts.”

The Chamber and the EDC held a joint board retreat Thursday at which the board unanimously approved the creation of the steering committee, made up of executive committee members from both groups. The steering committee, which will probably meet for the first time next week, will iron out details and timelines for the groups’ union, Eliassen said.

Eliassen said the hope is that the committee will provide recommendations to both organizations’ boards by the end of October. If everything goes smoothly, a merger could occur by the end of the year, he said.

Combining the Chamber and the EDC, which already work together closely, would allow them to become more efficient by combining marketing, sales, investor relations, office administration and executive leadership, Eliassen said.

The groups already are careful not to duplicate their work, he said. The EDC focuses on recruiting businesses and job retention, while the Chamber focuses on policy advocacy and work force training.

A merger would allow staff at both organizations to further specialize in their areas of expertise, he said.

“It’s not like anything’s broken,” Eliassen said. “It’s just now kind of taking the next step and improving on what we’re already doing.”