The vetting process for chamber members
By TANYA DORAN
Executive Director, Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce
Some folks in the community confuse the chamber of commerce with the Better Business Bureau.
They come in and ask for our help in resolving a business dispute of some kind or to complain that they didn’t receive the service or product they expected from a company. If the business is a member, we will certainly make a call and encourage the company to resolve the issue. And multiple complaints can result in a loss of membership.
But we have little to no leverage with businesses that don’t belong to the chamber.
Among the many services the Better Business Bureau offers are settling disputes between a business and an unsatisfied customer.
You should know that at the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, we vet each member before activating their membership. Using sunbiz.org, we verify they’re doing business under the same name they registered. For example, if the business name they’re using is Joe’s Widgets and the registered company is Funny Things, we would require it to update its listing to match at sunbiz.org before it could become a chamber member. Sunbiz.org lists the name of the business, the owner or owners, board officers, if applicable and the federal ID number. We check the site to clearly establish a link between the business and its owner(s).
We also verify through public records and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office website that any company representatives listed on the chamber application have no fraud-related convictions.
The chamber makes these checks simply to protect our community’s consumers to the best of our ability.
After these two verifications are completed, the application for membership is reviewed by our 18-member board of directors for final approval.
Once a business is an official member of our chamber, we help connect it to other member businesses, charities and resources in our community.
The chamber serves as a referral service for our community and often receives requests from residents seeking to connect with a local business they can trust. Keep in mind that we have been in our community for more than 50 years, and we have become excellent at connecting folks.
If you’re seeking a local business or charity you can trust, visit our online business directory at RiverviewChamber.com or call the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce office at 813-234-5944. We are open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feel free to stop by and meet us in person. We’re at 10012 Waterworks Lane in Riverview.