Community
BY HANNAH BROL
President and CEO Mark Linabury (center) runs the Greater East Montgomery County Chamber with help from chamber sta and members of the chamber’s board of directors.
COURTESY GREATER EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAMBER
President, CEO Mark Linabury talks East Montgomery County growth ahead of chamber’s 35th anniversary
didn’t have much competition in the area, and so they’re having to step up their game and gure out ways to market and connect and make sure people know about them. Is there any state legislation the chamber is keeping an eye on this session? This year, we’re still watching the commercial property taxation piece. Homeowners ... are getting all kinds of [property tax] protection and relief, [but] commercial doesn’t have any of that and ... there is no control on the property appraisal side of it. So we’re really hoping something permanent will go in place because that directly a ects the business community. Not every business owns the land, but somebody does, and they’re the ones charging the rent and passing it on [to tenants]. What do you see for the future of East Montgomery County’s business community? We have a lot of hospitality-based businesses— food and retail—which is a great indicator because that’s really a stepping stone in the economic development piece. So you’ll start to see more managerial companies and corporations looking for headquarters starting to look at this area. You’ve [also] got to have quality places to live ... with the new master-planned communities ... you can start to understand how it’s all coming together, but none of it happens overnight. The landscape of East Montgomery County looks a lot di erent today than it did 10 years ago.
chamber. We’ve been able to more than double our budget, and we put that back into our programs that every member can bene t from. What do you attribute this membership growth to? We adopted a member-focused, opportunity- driven philosophy that we believe is a game changer for our chamber. Chamber membership, we feel, is that step above just doing business in the community. It’s being part of the business community, and we really feel that has made a di erence, too. People feel that they’re contributing to something bigger than themselves, and that seems to resonate. What is the role of a chamber in a community? A lot of people think it’s just networking and ribbon-cuttings, but we do a lot more than that— we’re a voice for businesses. We have a leadership program—Pathway to Leadership EMC—and we are getting into the workforce development space. We’re working with our school districts and learning from our business community where the skill gaps are, and serving as a conduit between the two. Chambers are also known for advocacy; we’re not activists, but we advocate. What challenges are businesses in East Montgomery County facing today? East Montgomery County is growing at a record pace. They know it’s becoming more of a competitive market. Some of the businesses really
Mark Linabury became the president and CEO of the Greater East Montgomery County Chamber in August 2019. Prior to that, he served on the chamber’s board of directors beginning in 2017 and was elected board chair in 2019. As a lifelong entrepreneur with a background in marketing, Linabury said he is uniquely suited for his current role with the chamber as he knows rsthand the challenges business owners face. Linabury sat down with Community Impact for an interview May 7 to discuss the chamber’s evolution as it approaches its 35th anniversary this summer. What do you enjoy most about your current role? I have a passion for local brands because they are the only thing that keeps communities unique—it’s what gives them personality. Without them, we’d kind of all look the same with the big brands—which we need as well—but being able to help the local brands has always been a passion of mine. How has the chamber’s membership changed during your tenure? This chamber traditionally averaged at about 300 members over the years, and we were able to increase that average to 500 members within three years of my rst calendar year [as president and CEO], and that’s where we kind of maintain right now. The rst quarter of this year compared to last year, new membership was up 45%. So when I see things like that, it lets me know that business is con dent in our area [and] they see value in our
To read the full Q&A online, visit communityimpact.com .
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