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By Andy Domino | MiBiz
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BATTLE CREEK — There’s much more to Battle Creek than breakfast.

That’s the sound bite that Kara Beer, executive director of the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce, drops during an interview with MiBiz.

The chamber is marking its 100th year this October. Beer said she’s proud to be at the head of the organization during its anniversary, but she wants to look forward. In the next decade, she plans for the “Cereal City” to be home to a flock of new entrepreneurs, an integrated business community and a thriving downtown. While the chamber staff knows that Battle Creek has more to offer than Kellogg, Post and the food industry, companies in the city haven’t had much interaction, which is what is motivating Beer’s push for more networking between chamber members.

“We want to be involved in as much as we possibly can,” Beer said. “In the next 10 years, I hope to see a larger membership and more collaboration.”

Beer took over the top post at the Battle Creek Chamber in June. She called it her “dream job” and liked that the community was similar to her hometown of Jackson, Mich., where she worked for the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce. While she was being interviewed for the executive director role in Battle Creek, she did some interviewing of her own, asking Battle Creek residents and business owners what they thought of the city where they lived.

“I got a feeling of home and a love for Battle Creek,” Beer said. “People are enthusiastic about making Battle Creek great.”

Beer acknowledged bigger cities in West Michigan – Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids in particular – often overshadow what’s available in Battle Creek and Calhoun County. Boosting the community’s profile both inside and outside its borders is one of her top priorities.

Before the chamber can tell others about what’s available in Calhoun County, it needs to know what it has available. It’s starting with the leadership challenge, a yearlong series of discussions with local executives and others about management skills such as team building and conflict resolution. It brings area business leaders together, hopefully so they can develop relationships that can continue past the end of the leadership challenge. The leadership challenge is underway now, and if it’s successful, Beer said it might continue and add a second challenge series for area youth.

“We’re gearing them to give back to Battle Creek and share ideas,” she said.

Another goal is a focus on bringing new business to the county. Beer wants to do that by encouraging new entrepreneurs, pointing them toward government financial assistance and providing a helping hand for those trying to start something different. At the same time, getting experienced business leaders to mentor those new entrepreneurs creates bonds between business operators.

The chamber is a five-star accredited chamber by the United States Chamber of Commerce, a recognition within the chamber planning industry for chambers that promote pro-growth polices at the city, state and national level. That recognition was one of the reasons Beer wanted to come to the Battle Creek Chamber.

“We’ve got to promote our strengths,” she said. “We should be a source of information and resources for all levels.”

The chamber already provides networking opportunities for its 600 member businesses, Beer said. Twice a month, the chamber hosts gatherings and local events for employees and staff. She highlighted a gathering at a Battle Creek Bombers baseball game this July during which the organization welcomed not only the business people who regularly attend chamber functions, but also many of their employees and their family members as well.

Battle Creek Unlimited, the city’s economic development organization, also has a close relationship with the chamber. BCU helps businesses find available property in the city and is behind several plans for revitalizing downtown Battle Creek that city leaders have developed over the past several years. The organizations believe the changes will invite more shoppers, diners and tourists into the heart of the city. About $85 million in public and private investments is being used to bring facilities for Kellogg and food science company Covance into the core downtown area. The city is also hoping to improve its “green” image with more bike- and pedestrian-friendly streets.

Growing the region’s population is a third objective Beer has set for the chamber. Bringing more families to town will likely lead to more entrepreneurs. The best way to do that is by adding to Calhoun County’s businesses and offering more recreational activities. Beer said that might not necessarily mean spending thousands of dollars and hunting for companies interested in coming to West Michigan.

“We need to promote the good,” she said. “We need to let people know what our businesses are doing. We want to have a really strong relocation package for residents who want to move here. We want the latest and greatest information on our website.”

People might not know what’s available in Battle Creek right now, Beer said. Networking meetings are one way to publicize those opportunities, and a well-supported Internet presence is another. Over the next 10 years, Beer said she wants to see a larger membership for the chamber and more collaboration between those member companies.

“Battle Creek is fortunate that it has such a diverse group of businesses,” she said.

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• battle creek
• chamber of commerce
• kara beer