Jackson chamber relocating to former bank building

After more than 35 years at its current location, the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce is packing this week and preparing to move to a new, larger headquarters by the end of the month.

The chamber finalized its purchase Thursday of the former First Missouri State Bank branch at 1846 E. Jackson Blvd. and will be moving over the next couple of weeks. The bank relocated its Jackson branch earlier this month to 2480 E. Main St., which made the bank building on East Jackson Boulevard available.

The chamber has operated out of the former Jackson post office building, at the corner of East Main and South Hope streets, since 1984. The organization sold the building in April, but has remained there under a month-to-month lease arrangement.

"The new location gives us an opportunity to grow," chamber president Brian Gerau said. "We've been a little land locked at our current location, but we have plans and strategies for growth in the next few months."

The former First Missouri State Bank building was constructed in 1991 and will give the chamber more space and parking than it currently has.

"We wanted to have higher visibility, easier parking and better access," Gerau said. "We'd also like to turn it into more of a welcome center as well. That's a long-term goal."

The chamber worked with bank officers Steve Green and Steve Taylor to complete the sale.

"They were generous enough to leave it fully furnished as well, but they didn't leave any cash. I looked in all the safes," Gerau said with a laugh.

Terms of the purchase have not been disclosed.

Membership in the Jackson chamber has grown over the past decade from approximately 300 to about 520 today. It was named Missouri's Chamber of the Year in 2017 by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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