West County Chamber of Commerce
It's Happening Here

Chamber Mission

Mission

The West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce is the primary business resource and advocate as the area experiences exponential growth.

Core Strategies

We accomplish our mission through four core strategies:

Advocate
Be the voice for the West County business community on issues impacting our area.

Promote
Provide information about member businesses to those who can use their services.

Inform
Keep our members up-to-date on area issues and trends.

Connect
Offer opportunities for members to meet and do business, as well as support community needs.

Key Accomplishments

  • Formed the Odenton NOW Coalition, the voice for progress in the Odenton Town Center. Since its formation, seven projects worth over $265 million have been constructed, three more worth $17.5 million are moving ahead currently, and four major projects totaling $960 million constructed value on completion are in the pipeline.
  • Provided comprehensive recommendations to County officials in 2009 and 2014-16 regarding revisions to the Odenton Town Center Master Plan to streamline development process, expedite approvals, and ensure sensible guidelines- 99% of chamber task force recommendations were adopted in 2016.
  • Advocated for increased, dedicated transportation funding to alleviate congestion related to ongoing growth at Fort Meade, resulting in $44 million to expedite planned widening of MD175 bottleneck between Reece and Rockenbach Roads, $139 million to widen MD175 between Reece and Mapes Roads, $81 million for the MD175/MD295 Interchange, and $5.5 million for design of the MD198/MD295 Interchange Project.
  • Encouraged Anne Arundel County Council to ease proposed stormwater requirements resulting in a cap on commercial fees, increased credits for developer-provided stormwater improvements, and a phase-in period for implementation.  Also advocated for 30% reduction in capital connection charges to bring Anne Arundel development costs more in line with the rest of the state.
  • Continued to engage in activities on Fort Meade through our Military Affairs Committee and Fort Meade Community Covenant Council that introduce our business community to personnel and families at Fort Meade, including Armed Forces Field Day, the 4th of July Celebration, National Night Out, Family Fun Fair and the Army-Navy Flag Football Tailgate, which this year attracted more than 600 people (mostly military families).
  •  Held annual Back to School Fair at Waugh Chapel, which offered an opportunity for local schools to reconnect with students before the start of the school year and for Chamber members to promote their services to families.  Partnered with Greenberg-Gibbons to add professional entertainment and shopping center-wide activities.
  • Held our annual Tour and Taste West County, showcasing new development throughout the area, including on Ft. Meade, and culminating in a Taste of West County at Ram's Head Center Stage at Live! Casino highlighting member restaurants.

 

For more information on the Chamber’s accomplishments on behalf of the area, view our Annual Report and Program of Work.