Best Places to Work 2007: Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce

One of Kim Lester’s favorite things to do is sit back and watch businesspeople interact at events organized by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, where she works as operations director.

According to its Web site, JACC’s mission is to “work to improve the economic prosperity and quality of life in the Joplin region and to be the principal advocate for, and provider of services to, its business community.”

That wouldn’t be possible without the chamber’s work force, and Lester is quick to praise staff members’ efforts.

“The passion and drive and intelligence of the staff is amazing,” she said. “And it’s not only passion – but I like to use the word ‘compassion,’ especially in regard to working with members of the community.”

Founded in 1917, the Joplin chamber celebrated its 90th anniversary with more than 1,150 members. The chamber works with an annual budget of more than $1 million, and Lester attributes the fact that membership continues to climb to the broad scale of opportunities offered to chamber members.

“What’s important to one member may not be for another, and we try to create as much of an atmosphere for those opportunities as possible,” Lester said. “What’s amazing to me is to watch business happen at a lunch or a coffee gathering or a committee meeting. We provide opportunities for people to meet and business to happen.”

That’s not to say that working for the chamber doesn’t have tangible aspects as well. JACC pays more than half of full-time employees’ health insurance premiums, and reports average annual salary increases between 4 percent and 6 percent. Annual bonuses averaging between $751 and $1,000 are available to all employees.

JACC also offers tuition reimbursement for work-related continuing education, with more than 90 percent of employees taking advantage of the that program.

JACC re-evaluates its benefits package annually, and Lester said the offerings make the chamber a competitive employer in the tri-state area.

“To attract the kind of staff our membership needs, we have to have a benefit plan like that,” she said.

It seems, however, that those tangible benefits pale in comparison to intangibles such as camaraderie among the staff.

Sherry Cloyd, executive assistant for the chamber, said she’s come to think of co-workers more as friends than fellow employees.

“You don’t dread coming to work when you have people like that,” Cloyd said. “We all work hard, but we also have fun. And I think the chamber makes an effort to get us together as a group outside of the workplace. We take staff retreats and spend time at other things out of the office.”

Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce

Founded: 1917

Address: 320 E. Fourth St., Joplin, MO 64801

Phone: (417) 624-4150

Web: www.joplincc.com

Employees: 15

Services: Economic development and advocacy for the business community