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About Us
Building a better Bay
Connecting Business. Creating Opportunity. Strengthening Community.
Since 1913, the Bay County Chamber of Commerce has brought businesses, community leaders, and organizations together around a shared purpose: building a stronger, more prosperous Bay County.
Serving Callaway, Lynn Haven, Mexico Beach, Panama City, Panama City Beach, Parker, Springfield, and unincorporated Bay County, the Chamber represents businesses of all sizes and industries. From small businesses and entrepreneurs to major employers and regional institutions, our members are part of a network committed to strengthening the community where they live, work, and do business.
We believe that when businesses succeed, communities become stronger. Through advocacy, meaningful connections, leadership development, and strategic partnerships, the Chamber works to create opportunities for individual businesses while advancing priorities that benefit Bay County as a whole.
Building a Better Bay is more than a statement of purpose. It is a commitment to the businesses, people, and future of our community.
Our Mission
The Bay County Chamber of Commerce exists “to create superior value for all Chamber members, large and small; to cultivate economic and personal development; to promote and protect a competitive enterprise system of business; and to be a community leader while embracing Bay County’s opportunities and challenges.”
What We Do
Creating Value for Business. Advancing Opportunities for Bay County.
Chamber membership is more than attending events or having your business listed in a directory. It is an opportunity to build relationships, gain visibility, access resources, develop leadership potential, and become part of a collective voice working to strengthen the local business environment.
Our work is centered on five areas that connect individual business success with the long-term prosperity of our community.
How We Operate
Independent. Member-Governed. Business-Focused.
The Bay County Chamber of Commerce is an independent, membership-based organization governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a professional staff.
We are not a government agency, nor are we a division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or Florida Chamber of Commerce.
Our members help shape the direction of the organization through Board leadership, committees, task forces, and opportunities for involvement. This structure keeps the Chamber connected to the businesses it serves and the issues that matter to them.
Our membership includes businesses of all sizes, from independently owned small businesses to major employers. Each brings a valuable perspective to the conversations and partnerships that help move Bay County forward.
The Chamber exists to serve its members while strengthening the business environment in which they operate.
Our Impact
A Legacy of Leadership. A History of Progress.
For more than a century, the Bay County Chamber of Commerce has worked to turn shared priorities into meaningful progress.
While networking, events, and member programs are among the most visible parts of Chamber membership, some of our most significant contributions have taken place through long-term advocacy, community partnerships, and efforts to address challenges affecting Bay County's future.
Our history includes initiatives that have helped strengthen infrastructure, expand economic opportunities, support military installations, and develop generations of community leaders.
These accomplishments demonstrate the value of bringing businesses and community stakeholders together around a common goal.
Investing in Bay County's Infrastructure
Helping Advance the Infrastructure Surtax
In 2016, the Chamber organized its first political committee to support a campaign for a countywide infrastructure surtax.
Following voter approval, the surtax established a dedicated source of funding for infrastructure improvements throughout Bay County, including roads, sidewalks, water and sewer systems, and other public projects.
The Chamber's involvement reflected the importance of reliable infrastructure to the region's economic future.
For businesses, these investments support the essential systems that make daily operations, future development, and long-term growth possible.
Strengthening Panama City's Tourism Economy
Advocating for the Panama City Bed Tax
Recognizing the economic opportunities associated with tourism, the Chamber played an important role in efforts to establish a tourism development tax in Panama City.
The Chamber helped advance the proposal to voters and organized a campaign supporting its approval.
The resulting funding mechanism provided a dedicated source of revenue for promoting Panama City as a visitor destination.
Beyond hotels and attractions, tourism activity creates opportunities for restaurants, retailers, service providers, and other businesses throughout the local economy.
Advancing Regional Transportation
Helping Move Back Beach Road Forward
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Chamber organized a 14-member coalition to identify and advocate for Bay County's leading transportation priorities.
Among those priorities was the four-laning of Back Beach Road, a major transportation corridor serving the region.
By bringing community stakeholders together around shared priorities, the Chamber helped present a unified message to state transportation officials and contributed to the effort to advance the project.
This example demonstrates the importance of regional cooperation in addressing transportation needs that affect residents, employers, and businesses across Bay County.
Protecting and Supporting Our Military Installations
Standing Together for Naval Support Activity Panama City
When the federal Base Realignment and Closure process threatened the future of the Navy installation in Panama City, the Chamber helped organize business and community leaders to advocate against its closure.
Through coordinated efforts involving public hearings, congressional engagement, and community advocacy, local stakeholders worked to demonstrate the installation's importance and protect its future.
The installation was ultimately removed from the closure list.
The experience also helped establish the need for sustained military advocacy, contributing to the creation of the Bay Defense Alliance as a separate organization dedicated to supporting the long-term future of the region's military installations.
The Chamber continues its military-community engagement through its Military Affairs Committee and partnerships supporting the installations and personnel who are an integral part of Bay County.
Developing Generations of Community Leaders
Investing in Leadership Since 1983
In 1983, the Chamber established Leadership Bay to help participants gain a deeper understanding of the community, build relationships, and develop their capacity for leadership and service.
That commitment has grown through the Bay County Chamber Foundation and programs including Junior Leadership Bay, Bay Young Professionals, and continuing education opportunities.
These initiatives connect participants with community leaders, local issues, professional development, and opportunities to contribute.
By investing in people, the Chamber helps cultivate informed, engaged leaders who can strengthen Bay County for generations to come.
Why Our Impact Matters
Your Membership Supports More Than Your Business.
The value of Chamber membership is both individual and collective.
For your business, membership can create opportunities for new relationships, increased visibility, professional development, and access to information and resources.
For the broader business community, it supports an organization that brings people together, advocates for shared priorities, and helps advance initiatives that shape Bay County's economic future.
You may never attend a transportation planning meeting, participate in an advocacy campaign, or serve on a Chamber committee. Yet the results of that work can still influence the community where your business operates.
That is the power of a connected business community.
When you invest in the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, you are investing in opportunities for your business and the collective work of Building a Better Bay.
Be Part of What Comes Next.
Whether you're looking to expand your network, increase your business visibility, develop professionally, or contribute to Bay County's future, there is a place for you at the Chamber.