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Who We Are

Governance / Board of Directors

The Tennessee Chamber serves as the primary voice of diverse business and manufacturing trade interests on major employment and economic issues facing public policy decision-makers in Tennessee.  We also work to foster harmonious relationships between the various elements of the Tennessee business community and to serve as an umbrella organization for companies, trade associations and chambers of commerce to work together for the economic health of the state.

We have full-time legislative experts in the areas of tax and public finance, workforce and education and congressional affairs, environment and energy regulations, economic development, small business and technology, plus labor relations, civil justice, and health care and workplace safety.

Over the years, the Tennessee Chamber has expanded its member benefits to include research and conferences to provide businesses with the vital information they need to operate as well as benefit programs that save businesses bottom line. Attorneys and specialists are used as sources to help our customers understand the laws and regulatory environment, thus keeping them on top of their industries and free from litigation.

Leadership Structure

A statewide board of directors has guided the Tennessee Chamber since our inception. Today, the board consists of more than 50 leaders across the Volunteer state who are CEO’s and high-level executives from Chamber members across the state.

The board plays a crucial role in developing the framework for our operational and business advocacy efforts. Members serve on various committees that research key topics and define public policy positions for adoption by the executive committee and entire board each fall. These positions as well as membership meetings and survey results are used by the Tennessee Chamber to initiate and evaluate legislation at Tennessee General Assembly and in Congress.

TN Chamber History

The Tennessee Chamber is an organization with a long, proud history.  It started in 1912, when 150 industrialists boarded a train in Chattanooga to head to Nashville. They were on a mission and it involved what they considered to be “unfair taxes."  They were led by a 20-piece brass band and made stops along the railroad route to pick up other businessmen. They arrived in Nashville to find that trains from the other Grand Divisions of the state were here, bearing business leaders who all shared the same common purpose:  create an organization to represent interests of the state’s businesses. It was the birth of the ancestor of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and it was a recognition that, no matter where you are located in the great state of Tennessee, matters of public policy require a cooperative effort and a single unified voice. A century later, little has changed.
 
The Tennessee Chamber’s role remains a simple: we exist to represent the interests of business & industry in our State in matters of public policy and to build a statewide network and coalition of businesses & industries that speak out collectively on matters of interest.
 
As the Tennessee affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chemistry Council, the Tennessee Chamber works today with its national and state business allies to maintain a strong, healthy business climate in Tennessee for companies to grow, to profit, to expand and to hire.  After all, that is all we ask from government – a healthy, pro-business climate in which employers can create the stable jobs our citizens deserve - ones that grow and support our State. 

© Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry