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Jan

Merger…Or the Opposite

Ian Scott on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 2:00:00 pm

Frequent ACCE blog readers may recall several posts from me last fall noting multiple examples of chamber and economic development entities merging forces. (For reference see HERE and HERE) In those posts I did everything but proclaim a national trend of chambers and economic development entities merging. There is a flip side to every coin.

Last week the Bradenton Herald reported that the Manatee Economic Development Corp. is no longer under the Manatee Chamber of Commerce umbrella and has become its own separate entity. While it will have a new separate board and its own separate budget, the EDC will still be located in the chamber’s building, and the two organizations will still cooperate closely.

Comments

Good post Ian, I hope board members and staff everywhere can imagine how disruptive that kind of separation can be. Not only are personalities involved but so are budgets, contracts, and employees lives and careers. Take it from somebody that has been involved in trying to merge entities, go about mergers and separations thoughtfully.

Posted by: Frank Kenny on January 10, 2012 at 11:19:56 am