Good Neighbor Podcast North Atlanta
Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors of North Atlanta
Good Neighbor Podcast North Atlanta
EP #122: Greater Perimeter Chamber with Paula Shiver
At the heart of this conversation is the strategic merger between the Perimeter Chamber and Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber, a decade-long vision finally realized in January 2025. This unification eliminated counterproductive competition and created a stronger, more cohesive business community that transcends artificial municipal boundaries.
Whether you're a longtime business owner or just starting out, this episode showcases how the Greater Perimeter Chamber creates pathways to success through collaboration rather than competition. Ready to experience the power of business unity? Visit greaterperimeterchamber.com and discover how joining this vibrant organization can elevate your business while strengthening North Atlanta's economic landscape.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Speaker 2:North Atlanta, where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Stacey Risley. Hello friends and neighbors, Welcome to North Atlanta's Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we are here with my new friend, Paula Shiver. She is the Executive Vice President for the Greater Perimeter Chamber of Commerce. Welcome, Paula, so happy to have you on.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Stacey.
Speaker 2:Well, paula and I have gotten to know each other pretty well the last few weeks and I am so excited to have her on to share some info about the Greater Perimeter Chamber of Commerce. Tell us about the chamber, paula.
Speaker 1:Sure. So the Greater Perimeter Chamber focuses on a regional approach to support businesses predominantly in the perimeter area. We are mainly focused on Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, but we support all businesses and are happy to have engagement from anybody that sort of identifies or wants to do business in the perimeter area.
Speaker 2:It's a wonderful organization and I used to be a member of the perimeter chamber when it used to be just the perimeter chamber and there was the Sandy Springs chamber very, very close by, and I love the fact that we've recently gone through a merger to merge the two. And so, paula, if you don't mind, will you tell us a little bit about the merger of the two chambers and how merging them is beneficial for businesses and for the chamber?
Speaker 1:Sure, so I'll take you back a little bit to my background. I started with the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce about a little over 10 years ago and that chamber was a municipally focused chamber focused on supporting Dunwoody, and we went through some variations of rebranding. We became the Dunwoody Chamber Dunwoody Perimeter Chamber and then we focused more on just the perimeter area and dropped the Dunwoody from our name, but we were predominantly focused on the Dunwoody area On the Sandy Springs side in Fulton County. Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber was kind of going through a transition similar to ours. We were two municipalities that sort of stood up their own cities and everybody who was involved in that process wanted there to be a chamber to support the businesses.
Speaker 1:Since 2008, 2007, we have sort of been competing, if you will, in this region for engagement, people to come to our events, people to join our chamber and, you know, really competing for people's focus. And so about 10 years ago the conversation started about the idea of merging and we would come back to the table about every three or four years and we just never could get it across the finish line. And in 2024, the timing was just right. We had the right people in place, we had the right leadership in place and our board decided that it was the right time to bring us together and focus on the region and stop trying to compete in the marketplace. So the board approved the merger in June and it was a pretty fast runway to January 1st 2025, when we were official. So the Perimeter Chamber and Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber unified to form the Greater Perimeter Chamber and I couldn't be more excited.
Speaker 2:I am really excited about it as well. I was a member of the Perimeter Chamber and then I let my membership lapse at the end of last year kind of when all of the merger was taking place or when it was really about to take place, since it took place in January. But you mentioned something about the leadership was right and I love that. Some of the leadership has come from the perimeter chamber and some of it from Sandy Springs. Adam Farrand is the president and CEO, you are the executive vice president.
Speaker 2:Adam was from Sandy Springs, you were from the perimeter chamber and it does just mesh really well together. And I agree completely, you know, when you said that for lack of a better word, competition for each other. You know, and there's no need for that at all when all of North Atlanta, especially around the perimeter area, sandy Springs and Dunwoody both fit into that category and I think it's just better serves everyone. A larger chamber, larger membership, you can have more events and I'm so happy that all of this has come together like it has. And as far as the memberships or the members who join, how does having a larger chamber, group and membership base and all of that, how does that help the people who join the chamber.
Speaker 1:Well, when we kind of erased the municipal lines around what our service areas were, we just became more fluid in terms of you know, when you think about doing business, you don't say, well, I'm only going to grocery shop in my city. You know, if you're running errands in Sandy Springs or you're in Brookhaven or whatever, you are just using the resources that are in those cities and business doesn't stop at the county line or it doesn't stop at the zip code line. So for our members and for those who engage with the chamber, we just offer a much more diverse landscape of members, businesses, regions, cities, just in terms of connectability. That is just a really big part of what chambers do is connect people. So it's just opened up a much broader opportunity base.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, and that was a large portion of why I re-upped my membership. I was really excited, especially with the Good Neighbor podcast, north Atlanta. You know I'm the publisher of Dunwoody Neighbors and North Buckhead Neighbors magazines, but the podcast services all of North Atlanta, and so I was really excited and felt like it was a really good fit for the podcast as well. So I'm super excited and you were right when you said that about you know business doesn't stop at the county line or the city line or the you know zip codes. That's just not how it works.
Speaker 2:You know, we really are definitely still one community and I think that that, especially as business owners you know the community of business owners we need to work together and help lift each other up and help support each other however we can. And so that kind of leads into why I've gotten to know Paula so well in the last couple of weeks and we have just really see a great potential for collaboration with the podcast, offering interviews for all of the members of the chamber and huge shout out to the chamber. You know, if you're not a member of the chamber you should be. Even just the networking events and the fellowship amongst other like minded, you know business owners that are, you know, going through the same troubles or successes. And for that support and that's the whole purpose of the Chamber of Commerce, of any Chamber of Commerce, especially North Atlanta being able to be serviced, I'm excited about the collaboration I love what you said there, stacey.
Speaker 1:The partnership between the Greater Perimeter Chamber and the Good Neighbor Podcast is just a really great example of the collaboration that we try to bring to the region, and forgive me if I'm speaking for you, but I think, because you recognized the unification and the power of that, it caught your attention and you rejoined the chamber, which is fantastic, and here you are bringing another opportunity to our members where they can be interviewed on your podcast and showcase their business. The chamber really likes to operate as a marketing arm for our members. We have lots of different ways to amplify the work that you're doing and the stories that you're telling, and this is just one extra little thing that we can layer into that, which is really a beautiful thing. It is an exclamation point on the whole reason why we wanted to bring these two chambers together.
Speaker 2:Well, I love that. That is a huge reason why I re-upped my membership. I saw so much potential for collaboration, not just with the chamber but with other business owners throughout the North Atlantic community and the greater perimeter area, so I'm thrilled with the merger and all kinds of fun stuff. I will I just want to and we can't talk about this too long but we had the ribbon cutting last Wednesday or last Thursday. That was so much fun and it's it's really neat to see the chamber and the you know, the city officials and people come out to to recognize these new businesses that are coming in. So I love the support that they can get from from the chamber and and not just the chamber, but the members, the other members of the chamber. We are all here working together.
Speaker 1:so the ribbon cuttings are one of my favorite parts of the job. It is, um, it's so exciting it's, you know, it's like these folks who it's kind of like, um exciting it's, you know, it's like these folks who it's kind of like like bringing a child into this world. When you open a business, you know all of the trials and tribulations and the labor and all of that stuff and then you are celebrated by city leaders, the chamber, the other business leaders coming out to really raise a glass and cut a ribbon and celebrate with you, and it is by far one of my favorite parts of this job.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and at that one we were cutting a rug too there might have been some very uh UIPs. That was a ribbon cutting unlike any others, and those of you who are listening who have no idea what we're talking about we had some members from the Atlanta rap scene, some really cool celebrities, local celebrities here. It was just fun. That was a very fun, fun ribbon cutting ceremony. And the chamber events are fun as well. Tell us about you, told us a little bit about so and the chamber events are fun as well.
Speaker 1:Tell us about.
Speaker 2:You. Told us a little bit about your journey with the chamber. You know how you started with the perimeter chamber, but tell us about your journey into working for the chamber at all.
Speaker 1:Sure. So you know, in my career I started out very early in college working for REI and I worked with them all over the nation. I was in the outdoor industry for 18 years with REI in Patagonia, particularly with REI. I was asked to serve on a board of the Chamber of Commerce and I have no idea what Chambers did and I didn't, you know. I said yes and learned the hard way. I learned on the job but it was very rewarding. I was managing my store for REI and then helping support other businesses and I just it really helped me connect to the community. I was living in Nashville at the time. I was new to the area. Connect to the community. I was living in Nashville at the time, I was new to the area and it really it kind of brought this community sense to what I was doing and helped me connect on so many different levels to other businesses in the Nashville area and it was so rewarding.
Speaker 1:So when I moved back to Georgia I happened to see a posting for the just an administrator position at the chamber. I was this time I was a mom and I needed a part time job and it was just trying to do something that was flexible. And 10 years later, here I am and I've loved every minute of it. I've worn every single hat you can wear in the chamber. I've worn every single hat you can wear in the chamber, and my favorite part about the job is that it is there's no day off. You know there's no duplicate day. Every day is different and there's such a gamut of different kinds of roles that you can play and I just you know I love it every minute.
Speaker 2:I love that you are here. I think you are a huge asset to all of us. So well, tell us about any myths or misconceptions that people might have about you know, becoming a chamber member or the chamber in general.
Speaker 1:You know, when I think about this question, the thing that comes to mind is people who say I don't have time to do that. And I guess my answer to that is we produce almost 80 events a year. If you throw in ribbon cuttings, it's closer to about 120. But you know, we are there for you in the morning, we're there for you in the afternoon, we do after hours. So we provide so much flexibility and opportunity and our programs are very high value and opportunity and our programs are very high value. So we really like to create opportunities where you could come in and just make really valuable connections, meaningful connections, and go back and implement those into your business.
Speaker 1:But it isn't all about the networking or the events. One of the biggest things that is a misconception is we are a nonprofit. We are funded mainly by membership dues, but we act as an advocate for your business. So whether you engage with us or not, just joining the chain means that you are supporting the advocacy work that you do. I'm sorry that we do. For example, if a sign ordinance gets put in place that is going to impact your business, you as a business owner can call, but if you've got the weight of the chamber behind you. The impact is going to be so much better.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a really good example. That's an excellent example of how just you know, even if you don't have time, you know even if the mornings and the evenings don't work, or you know all because you really do have such a variety of times, of events, of different types and different types of events. But that is an excellent example, one that I hadn't even thought of. You know having the weight of the chamber behind you should you need it. You know that's a that's a powerful statement, should you need it.
Speaker 1:You know that's a that's a powerful statement. Yes, we, we are in the nonprofit world of 501 C6, which means that we, we actually can advocate. I mean, that is, that is the platform by which we advocate. And so you know, you could join a business associations, but chances are they're not a 501c6 and you're not going to be able to advocate for your business.
Speaker 2:So yeah, as a chamber member, I'm thrilled to hear that. It just gives me one more exclamation mark of why being a member is such an important thing. So I'd love that and I am excited about the things to come. I love how you said that we work together and you really support the businesses. I mean, as soon as I re-upped my membership, you know you were in touch with me and wanting to know how you could help, and they have a chamber one-on-one course, and then Paula offered to have a one-on-one with me. Well, they've just been super accommodating and I've already, in just a few weeks, gotten so much out of this membership. So huge supporter, I'll be a big voice of advocacy for you too. So what about let's shift gears just a little bit and, if you will, paula, let's let our listeners get to know you a little bit more and tell us what you do for fun when you're not working were in college working for REI and have just tried to incorporate the outdoors into our lifestyle.
Speaker 1:You know all throughout our marriage, throughout, you know, raising our daughter, and when we couldn't take our daughter backpacking anymore, we put her in a raft and started whitewater rafting and that sort of turned into bigger excursions and so we paddle spring through, fall and just anytime I'm on a river. River is when I'm the happiest, but we do. We do pretty big trips out West. Last summer we paddled 17 days through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. We covered 270 miles and this summer we're gearing up for the main salmon in Idaho. And anytime I can just get on a river and unplug and get back to nature, it just makes me happy and it fuels my tank to come back and do the work that I love.
Speaker 2:And they can't see me right now, but the audience. I am grinning ear to ear because everything Paula says there resonates with me so well and that's one of the reasons we connected so well getting back to nature and being able to kind of recharge and unplug from the city. When you work in the city and live in the city and spend most of your time here, I hear you loud and clear how much that does recharge you and refuels you to get back to doing what you do for all of us so well. Is there anything else that you would like listeners to know about the Chamber of Commerce before we wrap up?
Speaker 1:I highly encourage people to check us out An open invitation. If you reach out to me, people to check us out An open invitation, if you reach out to me, I would love to have you come to an event as our guest and just kind of feel the power of what's happening, as we are collective. When you invest in the chamber, you invest in a more stronger, connected region, and I guess I'll just leave with that open invitation. We are inclusive and we'd love to have you give us a chance.
Speaker 2:And I second all of that. Well, there are more great things to come with the collaboration between the Good Neighbor podcast and the Greater Perimeter Chamber. Especially for those who are sponsors of one of the magazines Dunwoody Neighbors, north Buckhead Neighbors and you're a chamber member, you're going to have some special perks. Super exciting partnership here at the Good Neighbor podcast. On behalf of our team, you know to yours I already thank you for all you've done for us already and I'm really looking forward to continuing this collaboration effort and this partnership.
Speaker 2:If listeners want to learn more and I highly encourage you if you're listening and you're a business owner in the greater perimeter area, that you really reach out take Paula up on that offer of the free invitation. Come as their guest to check it out, see what it's like, see what the fellowship is like between business owners and and the chamber. Having been a member of one of the smaller chambers and now being a new member of the merged chamber, it's, it really is. The reach is just that much, that much greater. So those of you who, if you were like me, let your membership lapse, just kind of unsure about how, what the merger would bring, rest assured, it is all good things. So if listeners want to learn more, back to that again. If they want to learn more, what's the best way, paula, for them to reach out?
Speaker 1:Well, we have an amazing new website greaterperimeterchambercom. That is the easiest way to get connected. We are on any social media platform that's out there, except for TikTok, so you can find us on whatever your favorite social platform is. Greater Perimeter Chamber. We look forward to engaging.
Speaker 2:Well, it has been an absolute pleasure having you on Paula. I look forward to what all is to come. Thank you, stacey. Well, that's all for today's episode, atlanta. I'm Stacey Risley with the Good Neighbor podcast. Thanks for listening and supporting the local businesses and nonprofits of our great community.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast North Atlanta. To nominate your favorite local businesses, visit GNPNorthAtlantacom. That's gnpnorthatlantacom.
