CHAMBER BLITZ FOR MEMBERS ON MAY 20

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce will seek new members this month.

"Fifty-six" new members is the goal when the chamber kicks off its annual one-day membership blitz early Tuesday.

The goal, said Linda Minner, special projects director for the chamber, is based on membership.

"Our goal is to sign at least five percent of the current membership," she said.

The chamber's membership stands at 1,120, making it the No. 3 chamber in the state in membership. Only the Greater Kansas City and Springfield chambers have more members, at 3,000 and 1,750 respectively.

The local chamber is No. 1 in its population category of 50,000 and under.

"We'll kick off the membership blitz with a 7:30 a.m. breakfast at the Holiday Inn," said Rozan Bonsignore, co-chairman for the 1997 campaign with Ron Swift.

Bonsignor recruited Swift to membership last year. "Focusing on our future" is the theme for this year's drive.

Members of membership teams will receive their recruiting packets following the breakfast.

A year ago, the blitz netted 60 new members.

Over the past decade, the local chamber has ranged in membership from 1,022 in 1987 to a high of 1,230 in 1995.

These figures are more than double the chamber membership a quarter-century ago -- 571 members in 1972.

The overall goal of the chamber is to keep the membership between 1,100 and 1,200.

The campaign will end about 4 p.m., with volunteer recruiting teams reporting in at the Holiday Inn, in time for the chamber's monthly "Business After Hours," which will be held at the Holiday Inn from 5 to 6:30.

The Cape Girardeau Chamber is observing its 80th year in 1997. Although the chamber was actually founded in 1920, the "Cape Girardeau Commercial Club" was in existence three years earlier in 1917. The Commercial Club had about 100 members.