NORTHRIDGE : Chamber Trying to Lure New Members

The Northridge Chamber of Commerce is regrouping after several quiet years, members say. Once among the largest chambers in the San Fernando Valley, the group has lately suffered the fate of many such organizations across the state--declining membership.

Its membership has dropped from about 600 in the mid-1980s to 250 now.

“I think we have bottomed out,” said Jim Beal, chamber president and Northridge attorney. He said the chamber has begun adding new members and earlier this month hired a permanent chamber manager, Teri Canfield.

Canfield, a former bank manager who was born in Northridge, said her first priority is increasing membership.

“I would like it to once again be one of the strongest chambers in the Valley,” she said. So far, the increases have been incremental, with only a few new members joining this month, but Canfield said she expects a steady increase.

The chamber has also cut its schedule to four days a week instead of five, in the hope of guaranteeing more stable funding for staff positions, Beal said.

Canfield blamed the recession for the membership decrease. Statewide, chambers have experienced a 47% decrease in membership in the last two years.

Chambers of commerce, traditionally business associations that lobby for business interests, also double as crime-fighting organizations in the Valley. Crime is a rallying point for chamber members in Northridge as well. Beal said members are hoping that a new chamber committee formed to fight graffiti will help attract new members.