Tri-Village Chamber Partnership Combines Area Chambers, Launches Restaurant Week

The Tri- Village Chamber Partnership combines the power of two neighboring cities to better serve its members.

As of February 1, 2016, the Upper Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Grandview Area Chamber (which also encompassed Marble Cliff) merged into the new organization led by former Grandview Chamber head Michelle Wilson.

When the director of the UA Chamber stepped down after eight years, discussions began to merge the two Chambers in October of 2014. A year of due diligence and research ultimately pointed the direction of merger.

“We’re so close to each other that we already shared members,” Wilson says. 

With a large percentage of its membership consisting of small businesses, some members were making the financial decision to join one or the other, but now businesses can reach residents in both areas.

“It was a good decision on behalf of our membership,” Wilson says.

The Tri-Village Chamber represents a combined 700 plus businesses in the area between the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers to the east and west, and Henderson Road to the north and 670 to the south. Combining membership doubled the Chamber’s size, doubled members’ marketing reach and streamlined an available suite of resources.

Three basic membership structures fit businesses large and small. Membership dues are $150/year for sole proprietors and civic & community organizations, $225/year for businesses with 2-49 employees, and $400/year for enterprises with 50 plus employees. Members can tack on additional marketing packages including website logos, social media posts and more.

Members receive a number of discounts and services through the Tri-Village Chamber.

“Like many chambers, we provide health insurance savings, workers comp savings [and] office supply savings,” Wilson says. 

A partnership with Buji ActionCOACH brings free business coaching, webinars and seminars touching on a wide range of business topics to Tri-Village Chamber members throughout the year.

Each former Chamber brought a signature event with a built-in following to the partnership. The Tri-Village Chamber now organizes Digfest, a celebration of local craft beers, wines and liquors held at Grandview Yard. The Taste of Tri-Village (formerly the Taste of Upper-Arlington) highlights the numerous restaurants in the Chamber’s bounds. With holiday season approaching, members are gearing up for the Chamber’s promotion of Shop Local Saturday on November 26.

The Tri-Village Chamber adds a new event to its lineup this year in partnership with Columbus Young Professionals Club. Monday, October 31 – Sunday, November 6 will be the first-annual Tri-Village Restaurant Week.

“We’re really fortunate in the Tri-Village area that we have a lot of unique, independently-owned restaurants,” Wilson says. 

Menus priced at $15, $25 and $35 will draw in residents from inside and outside of the neighborhood.

“It’s a nice opportunity to have people explore more, especially the Tri-Village Area,” Says CYP Club President Derek Grosso. 

Grosso hopes to gather about 30 local eateries for the first year of the event. The Avenue, Spagio, Balboa, Trattoria Roma, Dewey’s, Palle by Moretti, Hofbräuhaus, Matt the Miller’s and Red Hook Grill have already committed.

A portion of Restaurant Week proceeds will also support CYP’s new foundation, Columbus Inspires, that aims to promote and support the next generation of leadership in Columbus.

For more information, visit chamberpartnership.org. Visit trivillagerestaurantweek.com for updates on Tri-Village Restaurant Week.