Chamber merger right for Maplewood and RH: RH chamber board member

John Edwards, owner of EZ Email Marketing in Richmond Heights, is a Richmond Heights Chamber of Commerce board member, and is excited about the announced chamber’s merger with the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce at the end of the year.

Edwards was visiting Maplewood businesses at Maplewood’s participation in St. Louis Design Week, in September.

He said the merger will benefit both chambers.

“Our membership wants to be part of something bigger but not super big, and Maplewood wants to grow, but I don’t think they want to double or triple. They still want to keep it Maplewood, so I think it’s the right fit for both sides,” he said.

Edwards said there are several combined chambers in the area, such as the Webster Groves-Shrewsbury-Rock Hill Chamber, and the Kirkwood-DesPeres Chamber. He said it makes sense for Maplewood and Richmond Heights because they already share a school district and a parks department.

He said the Richmond Heights chamber is big enough to do an occasional lunch but not larger events like Maplewood’s Taste of Maplewood or the annual auction. One reason is because they don’t have a director.

“What we don’t have is a Jeannine (Beck, Maplewood’s director),” he said.

Edwards said the more active businesses are in the Big Bend corridor. “To me, that’s more Maplewood anyways — Maplewoodish,” he said. He also mentioned businesses on Hawthorne Place, where his business is, and Parker’s Table.

He said Richmond Heights has the Galleria and the Promenade, but they don’t really participate — they’re franchises. “For the Galleria, we’d have the general manager of the Galleria, but not owners of stores,” he said.

He said some business on the north side of Clayton Road like Commerce Bank and some DeMun area business that are in Clayton also participate in the chamber.

Maplewood Chamber director, Jeannine Beck has said when the merger comes, in January 2016, initially members of the Maplewood Chamber won’t see a significant change other than a growing membership. She said the chamber will continue to function under the current name and the office will remain in Maplewood.