By Michelle Larson, President & CEO, Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce
As Chamber professionals, we often wear many hats—business advocate, connector, event planner, problem solver, and cheerleader. But one of the most profound and often underappreciated roles we play is that of placemaker.
In today’s competitive environment—where people can live, work, and invest just about anywhere—our communities must offer more than economic opportunity. They must offer a sense of place.
This goes beyond tourism marketing or economic development. It’s about helping people feel connected to where they live. It’s about fostering pride, identity, and belonging. And at the center of that work? The Chamber of Commerce.
Reclaiming the Role of Storyteller
Chambers are in a unique position to shape and amplify the narrative of our towns and cities. We know the stories behind the storefronts, the legacies of the family-owned businesses, and the emerging ideas that are shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Telling these stories—through social media, newsletters, local campaigns, or community events—not only promotes local businesses, but it also reinforces what makes our places worth investing in. Let members tell their own story by utilizing reels, short videos, or takeovers where business owners give a “day in the life” perspective. Authentic, unpolished content often resonates more than polished marketing.
To get started with storytelling, look at creating regular features on your website or social channels where you highlight local businesses—not just what they sell, but who they are, why they started, and what they love about your community. Use consistent branding (a hashtag, photo style, or Q&A format) to create recognition.
Storytelling is one of our biggest initiatives for marketing this year. Not only talking about our businesses, but bringing people into the story of the chamber, what we do, why it’s important, and who all the amazing people are along the way from our board members and ambassadors to our team. Telling our story and the story of our business community has a huge impact on creating a sense of place.
Activating Community Spaces
Placemaking is also physical. Whether we’re co-hosting a community event or organizing a pop-up event downtown or in our other retail districts, we bring people into spaces and breathe new life into them.
Sometimes placemaking looks like major downtown revitalization, and sometimes it’s something simple—like a scavenger hunt that gets families walking Main Street and stepping into local shops. The point is, we create opportunities for people to fall in love with their community again and again.
An event doesn’t need to be massive to activate a space. It could be as simple as a chalk art contest or holding coffee & conversations in locations that sometimes are overlooked and could use additional foot traffic and energy.
Lastly, with every event try to keep some record on data – attendance numbers, estimated spending, testimonials from businesses and/or community members. Not only will this help with future events and sponsorships, but it will also provide important information for the city when revitalization efforts and community are being discussed.
Building Bridges Between Business and Community
Our work naturally blends the interests of commerce and community. We know that economic vitality doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it requires vibrant neighborhoods, engaged citizens, and a shared vision.
By serving as the bridge between businesses, civic leaders, artists, youth, and nonprofits, we help communities co-create the kind of places they want to live in. Places where talent wants to stay. Places that feel alive.
Sometime unexpected partnerships create the most amazing rewards. Some of the best ideas come from hearing different perspectives in the same room together at roundtables and simultaneously strengthen and support our role as a convenor.
As Chamber CEOs, let’s not overlook our potential to shape place. Let’s lean into it. Reflect on what makes your community unique and ask how your Chamber can help amplify it—through branding, events, partnerships, and yes, storytelling.
We’re not just strengthening economies. We’re shaping the soul of our cities. And in that work, the Chamber matters more than ever.
