The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce celebrated the people, businesses, and organizations helping shape the community during its 2026 Game Changer Gala on Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Beardmore Event Center.
Held during the year of America’s 250th birthday, this year’s Gala carried the theme “An Evening Celebrating the Entrepreneurial Spirit That Built Our Nation.” Red, white, and blue filled the ballroom, and even George Washington made an appearance as city, school, military, business, and civic leaders arrived for the evening.
The event featured a silent auction, dinner, networking, sponsor recognition and entertainment from award-winning comedy magician and mentalist Parker Williams. The Gala has continued to grow in recent years, according to Bellevue Chamber of Commerce President Diane Bruce.
The centerpiece of the evening was the presentation of the Chamber’s annual awards recognizing individuals and organizations for their contributions to Bellevue.
- Chamber Ambassador of the Year: Candace Dunn
- Distinguished Service Award: Amanda Herall
- Spirit of Community Award: Bellevue Eagles #3912
- Rising Game Changer Award: TJ Baird
- Game Changer Award: Bellevue Food Pantry
- Legacy Award: Brian & Carey Hamilton
A declaration for Bellevue’s future
The evening also included a Bellevue Community Declaration presented in conjunction with Constitution Day and the Gala’s broader celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Bruce said the declaration emphasized the relationship between Bellevue businesses and the community that supports them.
“We believe we’re united, that we work as a group, that it takes a lot of people to make businesses successful,” Bruce said. “We want the community to understand the value of what our businesses bring to the community.”
The message also focused on looking beyond the present.
“What we are doing today is representing the people of tomorrow,” Bruce said. “What we do today, someone else is going to be following in our footsteps tomorrow.”
That forward-looking approach also shows up in programs the Chamber is developing beyond the Gala.
Chamberopoly expands beyond Bellevue
Chamberopoly began as a way to encourage residents, particularly younger people, to visit Bellevue businesses and discover more of what the community has to offer. The program has since evolved into an app that chambers outside Bellevue are testing.
Developing the original game took approximately five months, including writing rules and recruiting businesses. Chamber officials eventually realized the work they had already done could save other chambers time and expense while providing a revenue stream for the Bellevue Chamber.
Bruce presented Chamberopoly at a Mid-America Chamber Executives conference and through online chamber organizations. She said approximately 80 chambers subsequently contacted Bellevue seeking more information.
Chambers in California, Illinois, North Dakota and Nebraska are among those that have launched or are preparing to launch the program. Initial participants are helping Bellevue test and refine the platform before a broader rollout.
“Our goal is to have them test it and help us make it better for all chambers,” Bruce said.
Communities can also adapt the concept. Bruce said one participating chamber in North Dakota has incorporated tourism attractions and bridges into its game, placing QR codes at locations throughout the community in addition to businesses.
“The big thing with Chamberopoly is it brings foot traffic into businesses, and it gets the community out engaging with our businesses,” Bruce said. “That’s the main goal of this game.”
Chamber grows its staff and services
The Chamber itself has also been growing. Bruce became president in 2023 and said one of the most significant changes during her tenure has been rebuilding the organization’s staff. After operating short-staffed for an extended period, the Chamber now has three full-time employees.
The additional staffing should allow the Chamber to expand educational opportunities for members while devoting more time to economic development.
The Chamber has offered programs ranging from workforce and grant training to AI education. Bruce said future seminars could address insurance, accounting, and other practical issues facing business owners.
Connecting businesses and building community
Chamber membership is not limited to businesses located within Bellevue. Bruce said businesses and organizations in Bellevue and surrounding communities can apply online or contact the Chamber directly.
While membership can increase a business’s visibility, Bruce said much of its value comes from networking and the relationships members develop with one another.
“Connecting businesses and building community” has been one of the organization’s guiding messages.
“We want to connect these people together, but we also want to build the community at the same time,” Bruce said.
She said referrals generated through Chamber networking groups have been particularly rewarding to watch, with conversations between members sometimes turning directly into new business.
The Chamber also plans to expand educational opportunities designed to give members useful information without requiring them to pay for outside classes or spend an entire day at a seminar.
For Bruce, the activity surrounding this year’s Gala offered another indication of how far the organization has come.
JollyOpoly coming for the holidays
The Chamber’s next effort to drive customers into area businesses arrives just in time for the holiday shopping season.
The first JollyOpoly in Sarpy County begins Nov. 2.
Building on the Chamberopoly concept, the holiday promotion will encourage participants to shop, dine, and explore participating local businesses throughout Sarpy County while accumulating points.
Each stop at a participating business will be worth 250 points. Businesses can increase the value of their stop by donating a prize worth $50 or more. A $50 prize increases a stop to 300 points, a $100 prize to 350 points and a $250 prize to 500 points.
The higher values give players additional incentive to visit participating businesses, where they might make a holiday purchase, discover a new restaurant or shop, or become a returning customer.
For the Chamber, JollyOpoly carries the same message that ran throughout the Game Changer Gala: connecting businesses with the community that supports them.
