Representing Business in the Rogers Park Neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois since 2009
Phone: 773.850.0049
Email: info@RogersPark.cc
About the Chamber
The Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce was founded in April of 2009 with one goal: to help struggling small businesses, and in fact, all businesses, to become successful. Chamber founder Bill Morton wasn't sure how exactly to do this, but he knew that he would do what it takes to succeed.
The Chamber struggled it's first two years, but in December of 2011, the Chamber and all of it's personalities started taking large strides to turn the Chamber into the vision they saw.
First, Chamber Founder and President Bill Morton came up with the idea of a neighborhood clean-up in support of the businesses. Eventually, the program that was created was Fresh Start Monday, an event that occurs the first and third Monday of the month from April through to November, weather pending.
After the creation of the Fresh Start Monday program, the Walk the Walk program was created by current Chamber Secretary Autumn Davids to promote tourism and shopping local while promoting on the peripheral exercise as well. The program involves one walk of between one and two miles around historically important buildings in our neighborhood and involves going into small local businesses to see the wares they have to offer.
Our Events Coordinator, Mary Finley, created the concept of the first ever Taste of Rogers Park. The event has shifted drastically from it's original dreams of grandeur so that now our current goal is to get local bands to play at our parks while small businesses encompass a decent-sized crowd of adults listening to the music as children play in a tent where face-painting and other crafts are available.
Matthew Noto, the Loyola Outreach Coordinator, is our hand in at Loyola, giving us unique perspectives and insights into the well-known university while encouraging fellow students to open Rogers Park and all that it entails into their lives. Not to mention letting it be known the Chamber is looking for volunteers.
Our Vice-President, David Torrey, is part of a small not for profit known as The Deviant Minds, NFP. The orgranization is in charge of the first ever Chicago SexFest. David had been active in community policing and knowing the history of our grand neighborhood as the former Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society President, so he encourages all of the board to be active in the CAPS program and discovering Rogers Park unique history.