by 
Dave Malton
When Dave Malton moved to San Tan Valley from California nearly seven years ago he joined one of two existing local chambers of commerce to help promote his business in the local area. He noticed some differences in the structure and models of the chambers in San Tan Valley compared to those in California.
The first was the actual number of chambers. According to Malton, California has both city and county chambers of commerce.
The second difference was the cost of membership. The fees required to join multiple local chambers and others throughout Arizona were exorbitant.
“As a new business owner I couldn’t afford to join both (local) chambers,” Malton recently told the Ledger. “My business can operate in Florence, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Superior, and Mesa. I couldn’t afford to join all of those chambers too.”
His own experiences inspired him to create a chamber-of-commerce model similar to those he was a member of California.
“When I started looking for a solution to advertise my business county wide, and get out there affordably, I saw a whole that could be filled,” Malton said. “That’s what part of the inspiration was to start the Pinal County Chamber of Commerce.”
Malton, the chamber’s CEO, describes membership fees as the biggest difference between the new county chamber and other local chambers, which in some cases could be hundreds of dollars.
The PCCOC cost of membership for a business with less than 50 employees is $39 per year. Other memberships are available as well. There is a one-time application fee of $25 for all new members.
“Establishing credibility and consumer trust is important to me,” Malton said. “Any new business coming into the area should not be priced out of the credibility and trust our chamber membership brings to the table.”
Malton says in addition to higher membership cost, other chambers charge additional fees for networking events; sometimes $25 to $50 per person, per event. The PCCOC does not charge for similar mixers.
Instead, businesses that host networking events ask for members in attendance to spend some money during the event and perhaps patronize the business at a later date.
As a PCCOC member, businesses have the option to be listed in up to eight different business directories, all of which are search-engine optimized. Directories currently exist for Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Casa Grande, and Superior. Directories for Coolidge and Eloy are nearing completion with still others to follow.
Member businesses have the choice to be listed in as many or as few directories as they prefer.
“A local San Tan Valley restaurant may not want to advertise its business to Superior,” Malton gave as an example. “On the other hand a painter, a contractor and a pest control company may want to do business in a bunch of places. (Those businesses) can list their companies in other business directories for free and likely come up on Google’s front page using it.”
Another benefit of being a member of the PCCOC is member-to-member discounts offered by select business.
Those discounts are not limited to only business members, however. A residential membership is available, which gives access to the same discounts to non-business members.
“A resident can join the chamber for $19 per year,” Malton said. “They get a card, an online profile, and they get in on all of the chamber discounts.”
Residential memberships provide another benefit to business members in addition to the local area.
“We’re actually trying to get our residents to shop here, locally,” Malton said. “According to Local First Arizona, if residents divert just 10 percent of their income locally, it creates nearly 700 local jobs and money circulates in the community, so it’s a win-win.”
Malton acknowledged he’s surprised with the success of the PCCOC so far.
He was asked what he attributes the success to and how he defines it.
“I think first off is the (cost of a membership),” he responded. “It’s affordable for every business.”
“Chamber success is when members have received a return on their (investment),” he continued. “Did they get their membership and application fees back tenfold? That’s success, when our members are not only staying in business but succeeding in their business because of things our chamber is doing for them.”
The Pinal County Chamber of Commerce offices are located 21321 E. Ocotillo Road, Suite 111 in Queen Creek.
For a list available memberships, business directories and other information click here.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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