About the Chamber
Eighty-five years of showing up for Enterprise business.
The Enterprise Chamber of Commerce has operated as a nonprofit since 1941, built on collaborative partnerships that strengthen the local economy. Our mission is to be an advocate for our members by promoting the growth of business, industry and community.
Mission & vision
Advocate. Connect. Grow.
Our mission is to be an advocate for our members by promoting the growth of business, industry and community.
Our vision is to foster a prosperous climate that enhances the quality of life for our community.
Those two sentences guide everything from a Tuesday-morning referral call to the Boll Weevil Fall Festival. The Chamber is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, the policy-making body whose members serve as official representatives of the membership and unofficial representatives of the community, and run day to day by a team of five full-time staff.
Photos: Carol M. Highsmith (Library of Congress) · Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0
Our story
A city that turns setbacks into the next opportunity.
The Chamber's history is inseparable from the town's. Both were shaped by farmers who replanted, merchants who rebuilt, and neighbors who kept showing up.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Alabama, City of Enterprise, enterprisealabama.com. Dates for the Chamber's own milestones should be confirmed by Chamber staff.
Enterprise is founded
John Henry Carmichael settles the community that will be incorporated in 1896 with 250 residents.
The boll weevil arrives
The pest devastates Coffee County's cotton crop. Farmers, following George Washington Carver's advice, diversify into peanuts and other crops.
The largest peanut harvest in the nation
Coffee County rebounds with record peanut production while much of the cotton South struggles.
The Boll Weevil Monument is dedicated
On December 11, citizens unveil the world's only monument to an agricultural pest, a thank-you for forcing the region to adapt. The weevil atop the statue was added in 1949.
The Enterprise Chamber of Commerce is organized
Local business leaders form a nonprofit to promote business, industry and community. The Chamber has served Enterprise continuously ever since.
The World's Smallest St. Patrick's Day Parade
A single Grand Marshal with an oversized flag starts a tradition that now draws a downtown crowd every March. The Half Pint 0.5K joined it in 2019.
Enterprise rebuilds
After the March 1 EF4 tornado, the worst disaster in the city's history, the community rebuilt its high school and its downtown with the same resolve the Monument commemorates.
Eighty-five years, 650+ members
The Chamber celebrates its 85th Annual Membership Meeting with a 4-Star U.S. Chamber accreditation and the largest membership in its history.
Accreditation & affiliations
Held to a national standard.
Fewer than a tenth of chambers nationwide earn U.S. Chamber of Commerce accreditation. Enterprise holds the 4-Star designation, a review of governance, finance, programs, communications and technology.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
4-Star Accredited Chamber, recognizing sound policies, effective organizational procedures and positive impact on the community.
Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama
Member of the statewide association of chambers; our Executive Director serves on CCAA program leadership.
BBB Accredited
Better Business Bureau accreditation for the Chamber itself, the same standard of trust we ask of our members.
Visit us
The door at 553 Glover Avenue is open.
Stop by Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM. Pick up a community guide, ask about membership, or borrow a conference room.