New name reflects work of Greater Jackson Chamber

While Tuesday’s annual Chamber Awards luncheon was a celebration of the work of the business community of Jackson and Madison County, it was also a time for the chamber to announce a rebranding for itself.

But while the name of the organization may have changed to Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce, CEO Kyle Spurgeon the mission and methods of the chamber aren’t changing.

“We’ve intentionally worked with surrounding communities, chambers, businesses, non-profits and whomever else we might need to work with to provide solutions and recruit businesses to nearby areas,” Spurgeon said. “Because when one city or town or county wins, it helps our entire region win even more.”

Spurgeon cited one instance in which Jackson’s Chamber of Commerce helped gain a larger employer nearby.

“When Tyson Foods was looking for a place to put a new plant, they came to Jackson first looking for a spot,” Spurgeon said. “But after working with them for some time, we finally had to come to the conclusion that there weren’t any viable options here in Madison County.

“But we said, ‘Let us look around here in West Tennessee and see if we can put together a list of possible spots for what you’re looking for, and then you can see if you can find anything you think would work.’ And sure enough, Humboldt was on the list and then here we are with Tyson Foods up and running just a few miles from Madison County with a $300 million investment and 1,500 jobs available in the factory alone.”

So if the mission of the organization formerly known as The Jackson Chamber hasn’t changed, what’s the purpose of the rebranding?

“A lot of people think the logo is the brand, so we altered our logo to better reflect the work we’re doing,” Spurgeon said. “Blue Oval City coming to Haywood and Fayette counties has caused everyone around here to work together to position the entire region to prosper once Ford and SK Innovations get up and going over there.

“We’ll continue to work with The Memphis Chamber and HTL Advantage because we’re competing for people, and if Jackson can improve quality of life here in town and surrounding areas, then the entire region has elevated.”

In addition to the rebranding announcement, The Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce announced its award winners for 2022:

Havner’s Frame Shop - Small Business of the Year
MSB Construction - Large Business of the Year
Floral Cakes - Emerging Business
Central Distributors - Industry of the Year
Scarlet Rope Project - Non-Profit of the Year
Jill Taylor and Alyson Fite - Curtis F. Mansfield Volunteer of the Year
Pat Ross - Shirley Jones Ambassador of the Year