Two local chambers are helping local businesses deal with tough times

For 26 years, the Chamber of Commerce for Anderson & Madison County has held its Business-to-Business Trade Show, at which local firms network with one another.

For two years, the Black Chamber of Commerce has hosted its Business Development Conference to talk about ways to keep businesses thriving.

The first show, set for the Wigwam, will be Oct. 30.

The latter, scheduled for Ivy Tech Community College, begins Thursday.

Both events are welcomed and should be well attended by area business leaders and owners. Consumers should also take note of these efforts to support area businesses.

After all, we’re all in this together.

We’ve found this out most recently through the financial meltdown, at first coming to light with a national foreclosure crisis and now spreading worldwide.

When the House of Representatives defeated the first financial rescue plan at the end of September, a word of caution was issued by Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“Pitting Wall Street vs. Main Street is wrongheaded and unproductive. They are inextricably connected. The funds that flow through Wall Street drive the activity on Main Street that creates jobs and generates income,” he wrote.

“Businesses rely on the financial markets for their daily operations, for purchasing inventory, and for writing paychecks. An inability to borrow money means businesses can’t expand production and create new jobs,” he concluded.

Bring that attitude close to home and you can understand the consumer-retailer relationship, as well as the business-to-business concept.

The theme of the Chamber of Commerce for Anderson & Madison County’s show is a continuation from last year: “Making Your Business Our Business.” As of Tuesday, 63 firms had signed up for booths, and the number is bound to be close or higher than last year’s 72 show participants.

The Black Chamber of Commerce will be hitting tough, forward-looking topics, with seminars holding such titles as “Devastation — Foreclosures Impact a Community” and “Employment Prep: Nestlé and Hoosier Park.”