Rochester Beacon – February 26, 2020
By: Smriti Jacob
The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce is ready to harness the power of its data.
To that end, the organization has hired Rochester-based Cause+Effect Strategy, a business intelligence firm, to lead an effort to create efficiencies and maximize revenue generation. CE Strategy will work with the chamber to integrate data and analytics into every department.
“Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce is proud to serve our members and the nine-county community in a wide variety of ways,” says Bob Duffy, chamber president and CEO. “In order to remain at the forefront of business in this innovative region, and as part of our continued effort to expand and enhance our offerings, we are maximizing our use of data and technology.”
Adds John Loury, co-founder and president of CE Strategy: “To us that means assisting the chamber in more effectively leveraging data; from a people, process and technology perspective to help them achieve their goals for growth and retention.”
Since its inception in 1887, the chamber has undergone a number of business shifts, mergers and transitions. Roughly 16 years ago, the Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Management Council merged to form the Rochester Business Alliance. RBA rebranded in 2016 to its current name.
The chamber supports businesses in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region, acting as a source for information, advocacy, human-resources services and networking. Its goal is to help employers grow, in turn growing the regional economy.
The data project will begin with a review of the chamber’s business process and associated data sources across departments including talent strategy and workforce development, finance, membership, marketing, operations, advocacy and human resources.
“We begin with collaboratively defining what the key business drivers are for the organization and what an ideal state for using data to help achieve those would be,” Loury says.