Article by:
Jarron Gray, Urban Chamber Board Chair
The Urban Chamber is a 501 c6. The organization provides technical assistance and advocacy work for small and diverse businesses in the state of Nevada.
The Urban Chamber of Commerce has been serving small businesses in our community for over 40 years. We serve a diverse population of underserved and minority small businesses in our community. We strive to be the premier business advocate for these small businesses.
It is the mission of the Urban Chamber to create an innovative, entrepreneurial space that promotes economic development for local and global businesses.
We envision that the chamber will Lead businesses to compete in an ever-changing global economy through education, access, and opportunities.
We as a chamber are always striving to be the premier business advocate for these small businesses. We have had successes in our 40-year history.
The Urban Chamber of Commerce currently has over several hundred active and engaged members.
The businesses we represent span across many different industries including the following:
Information Technology
Construction and Trade Services
Food and Hospitality
And many more…
A member of the Urban Chamber enjoys the following benefits:
Exclusive marketing opportunities
Networking opportunities with chamber members, sponsors, and key contributors
Business referral opportunities
Global Trade and Investment Programs
Free Ribbon Cutting and Open House opportunities.
For small and diverse businesses, the Urban Chamber of Commerce is the only brand that provides access, engagement, and opportunities for procurement in local, regional, national, and global markets.
The chamber strives to build REALationships with community leaders. A phrase proudly coined by our immediate past Board Chair and my mentor, Shaundell Newsome of Sumnu Marketing.
The Urban Chamber of Commerce meets the needs of its members and the business community at large by providing programing that addresses key barriers to opportunities for our business community.
Some of the chambers key programs include the following:
CAPITAL CONNECTIONS: The Capital Connections program provides entrepreneurs with credit advice, business lending options, and referrals to service providers. This program consists of a comprehensive Access to Capital Kick-off Event, a series of business-focused roundtables, a Business Pitch Competition, Business Plan Workshop Series, Ducks in a Row Webinar Series, and the Money Smart for Small Business workshop series for ongoing education and development.
CONTRACT CONNECTIONS: Contract Connections has been a joint event facilitated by the Urban Chamber of Commerce (UCC), Nevada PTAC, and WRMSDC since 2015. The program promotes economic development through educating and preparing small business owners, with capabilities statements that empower them to win contracts and grow their business.
SPORTS CONNECT: Sports connect is the brainchild of our new Urban Chamber President Mr. Cameron ‘CH’ Miller. This program is meant to connect our members and businesses in our community with the many sports organizations now represented in the state of Nevada. These organizations include the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Aces, Las Vegas Golden Knights, and Formula One just to name a few.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jarron Gray, Urban Chamber Board Chair, assumed his new role January 2023. Although Jarron has officially been in his role for just over 50 days, he is no stranger to the work of the Urban Chamber. Jarron has a wealth of experience in the banking and financial industry. Jarron has served in several capacities to advance the businesses of many chamber members over the years. In this new capacity, Jarron serves is the mission, vision, and strategy leader of the chamber. This intentional transition is key to standing up the chamber for another 40 years.