St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Council Discussing Merger

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Downtown Council and the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce are talking about merging. St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce President Julie Lunning says the two sides started talking three months ago.

“The boards from the downtown council and the chamber have met individually and voted unanimously to start exploring what this relationship. We now have a committee that is meeting regularly made up of downtown businesses and the chamber to discuss what this relationship would look like.”

She says both organizations have similar goals, and many downtown businesses belong to both groups. Lunning says they’re looking at several options for businesses.

“It could be an annual sponsorship or investment plan where we actually put together a marketing plan for downtown. And if you want to invest in this plan, you can pay X amount, and then those funds would allow us to pursue some of the bigger issues that we have downtown. And that’s trying to recruit new business.

Lunning says all sides are exploring if the relationship makes sense, and she believes a vibrant downtown benefits the city.

“Downtown is the core and heart of our city. It’s what everything has been built around and a strong downtown helps to dictate a strong community overall. Our downtown has a lot to offer. We need to have a community that has a lot of strong assets and our downtown definitely plays a big role in that.”

She says the downtown area needs its own voice, and it’s not unusual for a downtown counsel or downtown group to be under the umbrella of a chamber. The St. Cloud Area Chamber already acts as an umbrella organization for the Sauk Rapids Chamber, the Waite Park Chamber, and the St. Cloud area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Officials say the two sides started talking about a merger because the COVID-19 pandemic weakened the Downtown Council after the organization stopped collecting dues from downtown businesses affected by COVID restrictions. The group hasn’t collected dues for two years. The downtown council also lost its executive director, Jolene Foss, in June of 2020 after she took a job with Wright County.

The two sides hope to have a merger plan in place by summer.

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