History and Overview

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Then...

It appears that the first Chamber existing in The Bahamas was founded in 1797 and was formally "established" in 1799. The objects of that body, as stated in a document published in 1801 by one Joseph Eve, were described as follows:-

"The objects of the institution are to unite the strength
of the mercantile interest for any purposes that are
thought to promise advantages to the commerce of the
colony, to give members an opportunity to gain infor-
mation by occasional discussions on mercantile subjects,
and to procure relief from litigation by means of perpetual
court of arbitration."

It appears, too, that this first Chamber was relatively short-lived. In a 1926 edition of the Bahamas Handbook, Mary Moseley stated that the Chamber "became extinct" in May of I861. However, in an almanac of the Bahamas dated 1911, under the heading "Institutions and Societies", there is an article on a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce started in 1907, with the object of fostering local trade and industry. Reportedly, at the instigation of the then Attorney General, Sir John Bromhead Matthews (later to become Chief Justice), the Chamber was reformed "for the promotion of the general interests of the colony, for collecting and classifying mercantile information, for establishing a Court of Arbitration to adjust commercial differences which may be referred to it, and for communicating with the public authorities on all subjects affecting the common good". Sir James Young, M.E.C., M.H.A. was its First President, and the Hon George H. Gamblin was Corresponding Secretary. This Chamber apparently continued until 1920 to 1925. There is a blank in the records between 1925 and 1935, when the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce as it exists today was founded by businessman Alvin Braynen with the late Sir Roland Symonette as First President. (Sir Alvin Braynen is now an Honorary Member of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce).

This Chamber survived the lean years of the Great Depression and World War II and has enjoyed a steady growth ever since its founding. For many years it had its headquarters in the Savoy Theatre Building on Bay Street. Obviously, the Chamber flourished from the economic upsurge which marked the post World War II years, and continued into the 1960s, for in 1966 it constructed and moved into its present Headquarters on the corner of Collins Avenue and Shirley Street.

...The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Now

There have been many significant changes since the year 1935 in the relationship of the people in the Chamber. The Chamber has moved from a small, tightly-knit, protectionist group to an expansive, democratic organization comprising over 700 individual member-firm representatives, and involving persons of practically every race, creed and colour. The membership of the Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation today represents for all intents and purposes the economic power base of the country. This by itself makes the Chamber an extremely important body, capable of exerting considerable influence throughout the country.

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Federation is structured in order to be effective as an organization representing the private business sector in the Bahamas.

Each Division is responsible for identifying to the Board of the Chamber the specific problems and needs of that economic area; vice versa, each Division has responsibility for formulating and applying the policies of the Chamber in relation to the businesses assigned to that Division.

The Chamber operates effectively through the various Divisions that are composed of members of the Chamber, with some persons serving on as many as three Divisions at the same time! These members meet on a regular basis to discuss and decide on various matters. Each Division has a Chairman, who in most cases, is a member of the Board. (There is also an Operating Committee which functions as an "interim" Board between regular meetings.)

Then there are the Special Committees set up to deal with specific assignments; when these are completed the Committee is dissolved.

In addition to the Board and Division meetings, membership meetings are held as determined at which time the Chamber schedules speakers on special topics -- or simply hosts socials.
 
...The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation
 
On January 1st 2011, the merger of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Bahamas Employers Confederation resulted in the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation. A new strategic plan and organizational structure was adopted and outlined below:

Mission

"To serve as the premier employers’ and business organization in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas by developing, promoting and protecting trade activity as well as the interests of the employers on all social and labour policy issues within the context of true tripartism, in national, regional and international forums”