Washington Chamber Is No. 2 In Region in Its Current Budget

The Washington Area Chamber of Commerce ranks as No. 2 in the St. Louis region in its annual budget, according to listings by the St. Louis Business Journal.

The Washington Chamber has had that ranking for a number of years.

Its annual budget this year is $2,386,853.

No. 1 in the listing is the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) with a budget of $9,300,000.

The Washington Chamber has 597 members with dues of $150 and up and a staff of 14. Mark Wessels is president and Joe Schneider chairman of the board.

The RCGA has 4,000 members with dues of $525 and up. The staff numbers 39. Joe Reagan is president and Thomas Voss is chairman.

The Union Area Chamber of Commerce ranked No. 24 with a budget of $150,000 with 330 members and dues of $75 to $400. It has two staff members. Tammy Stowe is the executive director and Sherri Matthews is president.

Rounding out the top five are Chesterfield Chamber, the St. Greater St. Charles County Chamber and the greater Belleville Chamber.

No other Franklin County Chambers are listed in the list of 25.

The Washington Chamber is sponsor of the Town and Country Fair and its budget is included in the overall budget.