Chamber History

When the Board of Trade convened and elected its first Board of Directors, the decision was made largely in response to the lumbering industry’s decline and the need to rebuild Williamsport’s economy by supporting a diverse manufacturing base.

During its formative years, the Board of Trade had considerable success in securing new manufacturers, who hired the residents of Williamsport and its surrounding communities. Interestingly, the Board of Trade took extraordinary steps to not only lure companies here, but to ensure their success.

After several meetings of the local economy’s different manufacturing sectors, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trade hired Chas C. Krouse to represent the manufacturers of Williamsport in Washington, D.C., to secure as much war-related business as possible for the area.

On August 21, 1901, the 25 Board of Trade members proposed a restructuring of their organization to attract more industries to Williamsport. By 1903, seven firms, employing 500 men, settled into the city. The Board of Trade was able to measure their success by the economic prosperity of the city.

In 1904, Manager Laird’s annual address cited Williamsport as “The Ideal City for Home or Business”. The print material, which promoted the prosperity of Williamsport’s manufacturing, was distributed by the thousands. The number of established firms in Williamsport grew from 115 in 1904 to 154 in 1909.

“Their growth isn’t spasmodic, but it’s every week and every year that something is being done to better the community,” an article by the New Jersey Commerce and Finance magazine said. “There is something wonderfully inspiring about a city that can do things.”

In April of 1914, the Board of Trade reorganized again, but this time with a purpose going beyond attracting new business to the area. The Board’s ability to turn ideas for industrial improvements into executed plans of action made them stand out from other business associations.

By the spring of 1915, an industrial training program in the form of continued education was created and became known as the Shopschool. It offered men in their teens and twenties a place to attend classes on wood working and metal working. Revenues for the school came from work orders placed by manufacturers and completed by the students. The school was able to pay 43% of their costs while the state paid the remaining 57%.

The Board was able to influence not only business development but community development as well. The industrial development of local manufacturing facilities forged a demand for convenient and affordable housing of the workmen. Reasonably priced, modern homes were provided for the working class.

Williamsport quickly established itself as an up-and-coming city to live, work and shop. The period of June 1914 through November 1915 was a progressive time in Williamsport’s history due to the efforts of the reorganized Board of Trade.

In the following years, the Board of Trade continued to grow and prosper. Known today as the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, much has changed since the early 1900s, but much has remained the same. While issues and people came and went, the basic purpose of the organization has never truly changed.

The Chamber remains an organization made up of business professionals dedicated to maintaining a strong business climate and local economy that helps to provide jobs for the local community.