Founded in 1918, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is a business assistance and economic development organization dedicated to helping businesses grow and to promoting the economic development of Brooklyn.
 
The Brooklyn Chamber has over 1,500 Members, including local, regional and national businesses with customers or business interests in neighborhoods across the borough.  The Chamber's membership mirrors the Brooklyn business community. From proprietors to large corporations, Member businesses represent industries such as financial services, energy, insurance, manufacturing, dining, shopping, wholesale and retail trade, fashion, hospitality, health care, real estate and communications.

The Brooklyn Chamber provides a wide range of promotional, support and advocacy services to assist its Members, attract new investment to the borough and improve local business conditions. 

Promotion:
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce connects its Members to new customers in Brooklyn and beyond through a packed schedule of networking events, trade shows, business expos and committee activities.  Members are given numerous opportunities to promote their businesses through Brooklyn Chamber communications vehicles, including the Chamber’s newspaper Brooklyn’s Progress, Member-to-Member mailings, the annual Brooklyn Business Directory & Buying Guide and the Chamber’s award-winning Web site, ibrooklyn.com. 

Support:
Working in cooperation with federal, state and city government agencies, including the Brooklyn Business Solutions Center, as well as charitable foundations and corporate sponsors, the Brooklyn Chamber provides a comprehensive menu of business development services to support local entrepreneurs.  Services include:

• Business plan development
• Small business financing
• Media and community relations
• Brooklyn Connects government procurement assistance
• Brooklyn Goes Global export/import assistance for manufacturers
• Brooklyn HealthWorks low-cost small business health insurance
• Brooklyn Shops neighborhool retail assistance
• Good Help staffing and workforce development program
• Human resources assistance
• Real estate-related assistance and incentives

Advocacy:
Described by Crain’s New York Business as “an activist champion of small business,” the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce manages an aggressive advocacy program combining research, surveys, government relations and communications.  The Brooklyn Chamber, through its Board of Directors and Government Affairs Committee, has forged key relationships with elected officials and leaders of government agencies, making it a forceful advocate for the business community and helping it to secure major investments for the economic and community development of Brooklyn.

For more information about the Brooklyn Chamber, visit our Frequently Asked Questions and download our 2007 Annual Report and 2006 Annual Report in PDF format.