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The Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

The Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce was organized and began operations in 1881 as the Cedar Rapids Board of Trade.  One of its first presidents was Dr. John F. Ely, son of one of Cedar Rapids’ founders. Several years later, the Manufacturers and Jobbers Association was founded, apparently operating as an auxiliary of the Board of Trade.  Continual efforts were made by the Board of Trade and the Association to attract new businesses and industries to the city.  In 1881, the Board of Trade was successful in securing the first convention, the National Cheese, Butter and Egg Convention. The Board of Trade held weekly meetings to plan for the expansion of the city, both in it's economy and it's people.  Some of the early concerns of the Board of Trade were improvement of streets, a sewage system, extension of rail service to and from the city and new industry. The Board of Trade became the Cedar Rapids Commercial Club in 1897, then  the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce in 1918. The Chamber of Commerce celebrated the organization’s 75th anniversary in 1956. Originally organized as the Commercial Club, cooperative efforts were under way to promote Cedar Rapids as early as the 1850s.”  “Cedar Rapids residents financed the building of several riverboats to haul local products to markets downriver. One of the boats, the steamer Cedar Rapids, brought 300 tons of freight and 84 passengers to town on its maiden voyage from the east. The  Chamber played a major role in building a civic center on Municipal Island and attracted hotels such as the Montrose and Hotel Roosevelt to the city to lure convention business. The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce merged with the Marion Chamber of Commerce in 1970. Today, the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce is comprised of roughly 1,600 members. The Chamber is the community catalyst to enhance and promote economic vitality and quality of life in Linn County. In 2005, the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber led a successful effort to change the form of local government from the commission form to the city manager/part time council form.

 Information from The Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce website