Bruce Looks Back on First Year as Chamber President

Bellevue Chamber of Commerce President Diane Bruce was recently asked to reflect on her past year serving as president. The opportunity challenged Bruce to do one of her least favorite things coupled with one of her most favorite things. Bruce loves talking about Bellevue, but she dislikes talking about herself.

Bruce started as interim president in March 2023 and was voted Chamber President in November. Bruce said that it doesn’t seem like a year has gone by. “The last year went very quickly, especially since we only had two part-time employees most of the year,” Bruce said. “We could not have had such a successful year without the help of our Ambassador group and other volunteers. They were pivotal to helping our events and welcoming our new members.”

One of Bruce’s top goals was to ensure chamber members had excellent networking opportunities, allowing them to promote their businesses. Bruce also wanted to continue fostering and strengthening the 20+ year relationship the chamber has had with Offutt Air Force Base. Bruce said, “Offutt has been an incredible support for the chamber, and we feel honored that they continue to be such a willing partner.”

Bruce has been enjoying the number of businesses that have joined the chamber over the past year. Approximately 50 new members have joined over the past twelve months. Many new members have joined the chamber ‘Power Partners’ groups, which meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It’s wonderful to see new chamber members jump into networking opportunities with both feet,” said Bruce. “That is the best way to see how a chamber works and the value it can provide.”

Bruce also shared what she would say to a business on the fence about joining the chamber. “I would say to them that Bellevue is a very tight-knit community that supports its own, and the chamber strives to have mutually beneficial relationships with our members,” said Bruce. “Membership with the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce & Community can boost the visibility of their business as the chamber promotes its members through events, social media, and other marketing channels.   The networking groups and our various events open doors to new partnerships, resources, and opportunities for growth. One of the biggest reasons to join the chamber is to show that your business supports the community while we support your business.”

Bruce credits the chamber staff with much of the success from the past year.  Sarah Dighans, Director of Community Engagement, previously worked for the chamber and Bruce said she came highly recommended. “She hit the ground running, single-handedly planning our Leadership Bellevue program, while spearheading some of our other key events. Sarah has been my right hand, helping me put the chamber pieces back together,” said Bruce.

Sally Conrad is a long-time chamber member and Bellevue Chamber of Commerce & Community Ambassador.  She now works as the Membership Coordinator for the chamber. “In the few weeks she has been on our staff, she has already brought on a dozen new members,” shared Bruce.  “We all have the same vision for the chamber and know the value we can bring to our members and community. We work well together and truly are excited about actualizing our vision.”

As for the future, the chamber has a lot of events and activities coming up. Bruce said that last year’s ‘Who Done It?‘ Chamber Rejuvenation Event formally announced that the chamber was back and here to stay.  “That event was so successful that we added it to our permanent events calendar! ‘Who Done It?‘ was the catalyst for reshaping old events and creating new events for the chamber in 2024,” said Bruce. “It is our goal to have unique events that people want to support and attend while still maintaining some crowd favorites.”

Bruce mentioned that the event the chamber is most excited about is BellevueOpoly. While the event will involve chamber members, it is open to the community to play. According to Bruce, BellevueOpoly is an engagement game designed to connect the community with Bellevue-based businesses. The idea is for BellevueOpoly to bring foot traffic to local businesses and highlight the gems we have in our own backyard. Bruce said that there will be amazing prizes up for grabs, and more information will be made public during the first week in April.