Somerset Chamber of Commerce is well-placed to connect businesses to the many opportunities that exist by having the right people in the right places to have the all-important conversations.
That was the message from the Chamber’s new Managing Director, David Crew, at the membership organisation’s annual general meeting.
Mr Crew, who took up the post in September, said the Chamber’s membership was at one of the highest levels for many years, with nearly 60 new members joining since August and four new Business Partners joining since September.
He said: “I am really proud of this region and Somerset. We have the right people in the right place to have the right conversations with the right people for the benefit of Somerset businesses. 
“We are a bridge for the business community – businesses want to get support and to get in front of large businesses, the council and other organisations and having us, as that bridge, to get to where they need to get to faster, to save time and money, is a huge bonus.
“This is about us doing well to do good. We want to connect businesses in Somerset to the opportunities that are out there.”
Emma Warren, of Elite Staffing Solutions, and Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors said it had been a challenging year for both the Chamber and for businesses as a whole due to evolving market dynamics and changing cost pressures.
She said there was a positive message to share at the AGM as many changes had been made at the Chamber which were already bringing about a positive shift. She said the key focus was on the Chamber’s core values – connect, influence and grow.
Three new board directors were appointed – Rosie Wicks of Blossom HR, Alex Clancy of Yeovil College and Peter Quintana of HGKC. They joined existing directors Joe Routledge of Sycamore Process Engineering, Evelyn Adfield of Porter Dodson, Michael Cahill of Albert
Goodman, Lizzie Tottle of Teapot Creative, Matt Ruddle of Ruddle Digital, Sarah Green of Marston Foods, Karen Morledge of Morledge & Co and Jerome Timbrell of C2 Safety.
Outgoing director Graeme Crosbie, of Level-Up South West, was thanked for his time and commitment after serving a full six years on the board.
Attendees at the AGM, which was held in the offices of Albert Goodman, in Taunton, were also given a presentation on the work of the charity The Youth Adventure Trust, which sponsored the meeting.
Join Somerset Chamber of Commerce to give your business a stronger voice both locally, regionally and nationally. Combined with local town chambers, we represent over 2,000 businesses across Somerset with a direct line to policy-makers at all levels.
