Economic development is about more than attracting new investment—it’s about creating opportunities for businesses, strengthening communities and building a thriving regional economy. Through advocacy, partnerships, business support and strategic initiatives, the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber is committed to helping Southwest Michigan grow stronger together.
Economic Development Achievements
MEDC Success Story
In April 2026, the Regional Chamber was featured in the Michigan Economic Development Corporation success stories and received a “Make It in Michigan” award for its work to increase population and attract talent through Discover Southwest Michigan.
Since 2010, Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties have faced population decline and workforce challenges. Through Discover Southwest Michigan and the support of the Make MI Home grant, we’re challenging that trajectory by helping people discover not just a place to visit, but a place to build a life.
In less than a year, more than 1,500 households have applied to move to Southwest Michigan through our talent attraction efforts, representing approximately 3,800 potential new residents and an estimated growth in economic impact.
Read the full articles here: Discover Southwest Michigan | Michigan Business
Secured MDARD Grants for 2 Local Bridgman Businesses
In May 2026, local Bridgman businesses, Transient Artisan Ales and Emma Hearth and Market, secured grant funding through the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD). The grants are set to fuel new investment and continued growth in the community — a win the Greater Bridgman Area Chamber and Growth Alliance (BCGA) is proud to have played a role in.
Both awards trace back to state programs designed to strengthen Michigan’s food and agriculture economy. MDARD’s Underserved, Value-Added, Regional Food Systems, and Supply Chain Grant program provides funding to establish, retain, expand, attract, or develop value-added agricultural processing across Michigan, as well as projects that build out regional food systems or improve access to healthy food.
These advancements reflect the type of growth and community-centered development that the BCGA actively supports and advocates for throughout the region. By helping local businesses access statewide resources and pursue long-term investments, the BCGA can continue to foster opportunities that strengthen Bridgman’s economy while enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors.
A Formal Partnership with Buchanan
Earlier this year, the Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce and the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber formalized a partnership designed to strengthen business support, expand local capacity, and position Greater Buchanan for its next phase of economic growth. The agreement marked another successful expansion of the Regional Chamber’s collaborative model, with Buchanan joining Niles and Bridgman in a coordinated, county-wide approach to economic development.
Through the new structure, the Buchanan Area Chamber maintained its local identity, governance, and membership while integrating into the Regional Chamber’s operational infrastructure. The partnership preserved local leadership and focus while expanding advocacy, enhancing programming, increasing regional visibility, and strengthening efforts to support business retention, expansion, and attraction.
Read the full article here: All In on Buchanan: How a Formal Partnership Positions Greater Buchanan for What’s Next – Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber
The Greater Niles Partnership
In October 2025, the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber (SMRC) and the Greater Niles Chamber (GNC) entered a historic partnership aligning the two organizations structurally and strategically — the first alignment of its kind in Berrien County. Under the deal, GNC kept its own membership, board, and brand identity while integrating into SMRC’s operational infrastructure, so local businesses retained the same responsive service while gaining access to greater institutional capacity and regional reach.
The timing lined up with real growth in the Niles area, including new housing, industrial expansion, and infrastructure investment, and local leaders welcomed the partnership as giving the region a stronger, more unified voice for attracting talent and investment. The alignment also pushed the combined membership to nearly 1,000, placing SMRC among Michigan’s ten largest chambers. Coming on the heels of the Bridgman and Central Berrien alliances, the Niles partnership extended SMRC’s broader strategy of unifying independent communities into one coordinated economic development ecosystem.
Read the full article here: The Greater Niles Partnership: How this Historic Alignment Positions Southwest Michigan to Compete
Establishing Chamber and Growth Alliances in Southwest Michigan
The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, which serves Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties, has spent the past couple of years expanding a model called the Chamber Growth Alliance (CGA) — a locally led, collaborative approach to economic development that pools resources and stakeholders to bring dedicated, full-time economic development staff to communities that previously had none. The template for this model, a Regional Chamber Partner, was the Greater Bridgman Area Chamber and Growth Alliance, a member-driven nonprofit that serves as the economic and community development arm for the Bridgman area.
Building on that momentum, the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber established the Central Berrien Chamber Growth Alliance, the first new CGA formed following the Bridgman CGA’s success, bringing full-time professional economic development services to Baroda, Berrien Springs, and Eau Claire, along with their surrounding townships — an area that had historically operated independently. Local leaders framed it as one of the most significant investments in economic development the region has seen, with six communities joining forces under a single, locally led alliance.
The regional chamber has continued expanding this framework since, standing up a similar alliance in Southwest Berrien County and reaching integration agreements with existing local chambers in Niles and Buchanan — all part of an effort chamber President and CEO Arthur Havlicek describes as overcoming a long-standing north-south divide in Berrien County by getting communities to compete and win together rather than separately. Together, the Bridgman and Central Berrien alliances have become the chamber’s flagship examples of how regional partnership can drive more vibrant, economically resilient communities across Southwest Michigan.
