A Short History of the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce

Originally formed just weeks after the conclusion of World War I in November of 1918, the Beverly Chamber of Commerce began as a consolidation of the Beverly Board of Trade and the Beverly Business Men’s Association.  The Beverly Times reported that “both organizations bid fair to mark a new era in the civic, commercial, and industrial activities in the city.”

Our Chamber thrived through most of the 20to century though in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s its Board of Directors felt a need to expand and work with other business leaders from neighboring communities.   The Beverly Chamber of Commerce officially regionalized and reformed as the then new North Shore Chamber of Commerce in the mid 1980’s.

As the North Shore Chamber of Commerce grew and expanded its footprint even further, many Beverly business people ironically once again felt the need for more localized representation.   A group of local business leaders formed Beverly Downtown Inc. which then, to be welcoming to businesses in all areas of the city, morphed into a rebirth of the Beverly Chamber of Commerce.

Approximately 10 years ago the Chamber’s Board of Directors voted to expand its representation into Danvers, Hamilton, and Wenham.  The Chamber had a small base of members from each of these communities.  Our name was changed to the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce and with that membership in those neighboring towns began to grow.

Today the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce is thriving due to strong programming, an increasingly active Government Affairs Committee, and numerous networking opportunities for its nearly 300 members.