Chamber of Commerce: Pride of centenary, and optimism for future

First, let me introduce myself. I’m Donna Schultz and I’m the managing director of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. 

Donna Schultz (Image: Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce)

Where else can I begin? It’s a momentous year for business in our county as it’s the centenary of our Chamber. 

When we were founded back in 1924, futurologists predicted that in the year 2024, we’d live in 100-storey blocks of flats, travel to other planets on a whim, and send the kids to school by flying bus. 

Those things haven’t happened, but I would argue our advances in telecommunications are perhaps more remarkable than anything they imagined. Back then, someone imagining anything like our modern smartphones would have dismissed the idea as unrealistic. Indeed, even to someone from the 1990s, our phones would seem like magic. 

Just as technology has marched on, so has the way we do business – and the Chamber has been right there all the way. The ability to hold meetings remotely has enabled us to pack our schedule with more events than ever before, making it easier than ever to meet that new contact, make that key connection, and take your business to the next level. 

The highlight of the centenary will, of course, be our annual Summer Garden Party – which will be on July 11 at the gorgeous Sopwell House in St Albans. I can’t wait to welcome our members to share the fresh food, drinks, fairground fun and live entertainment. 

But that’s not all we’re doing to mark the century. To celebrate the 100 years, our team have been taking on challenges such as collectively walking and running 100 miles during January, flipping pancakes 100 times in February, donating 100 Easter eggs to Hertfordshire Community Foundation in March, and last month packing 100 aid boxes for the superb charity Goods for Good. I couldn’t be prouder of my team, and there is still so much more to come this year. 

Our members, however, are the rock upon which the success of the Chamber has been built over the past 100 years, and we would not be able to do any of this without their dedication and loyalty. We have members whose standing with us goes back decades, and looking through the list is always touching. 

That longstanding association is also a clear demonstration of the value our Chamber brings to the county in providing the right support at the right time, to help Hertfordshire’s business community to further grow and thrive. 

I am honoured to be following in the footsteps of those who have gone before me in leading this organisation, and proud to be taking the baton forward. 

Month after month, meeting new member businesses as they join never gets old, and it’s particularly special in this centenary year. I feel privileged to be taking the Chamber into the next century.  See hertschamber.com to find out more.