Advocacy

The Chamber is the collective voice of the Overton County business community before every level of government. Individually, a small manufacturer or a family business has very little standing in a conversation about a state regulation, a road project, or a piece of federal rulemaking. Collectively, and with an organization whose job it is to show up, that same business community is taken seriously. 

Advocacy is one of the original reasons chambers of commerce exist, and our structure is built for it. As a 501(c)(6) business league, the Chamber is permitted to advocate directly and without limitation on matters affecting the common business interests of our members, which is a latitude that charitable organizations do not have. 

We Are Nonpartisan 

The Chamber does not endorse candidates, does not contribute to campaigns, and does not align itself with a political party. We take positions on policy, not on people. 

This is not a technicality and it is not a hedge. It is the only way an organization like ours can function. A business owner in Overton County should be able to belong to this Chamber, be represented well by it, and disagree with a neighbor about nearly everything else. Our positions are developed by the Board of Directors on the basis of what serves the business community of this county, and they are stated plainly regardless of who holds office. 

Where We Work 

Local 

City council, the county commission, and the boards and commissions whose decisions shape zoning, permitting, utilities, infrastructure, property assessment, and the local tax structure that businesses operate under every day. Local government is where the highest percentage of decisions affecting a small business actually get made, and it is where the smallest number of business owners are in the room. 

State 

Our General Assembly delegation and the executive branch departments whose programs and regulations reach into every business in the county. We work alongside the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives, and chambers across the Upper Cumberland on issues that affect business statewide, because a rural county of 24,000 carries far more weight in Nashville as part of a coalition than it does alone. 

Federal 

Our congressional delegation and the federal agencies whose funding, regulation, and policy shape rural infrastructure, rural healthcare, agriculture, small business lending, and the grant programs that make projects possible in a county with a limited local tax base. 

What Advocacy Actually Looks Like 

Tracking and alerting. Watching the legislation and regulation that would affect local employers, and telling members when something is coming while there is still time to do anything about it. 

Making the case. Writing letters of support, providing testimony and local data, and putting business owners directly in front of the officials making decisions. Much of the state and federal investment that has come into this county began with someone making a specific, documented case for it. 

Convening. Hosting candidate forums, policy discussions, and legislative updates so that our members are informed participants rather than spectators. We also participate in coordinated regional and statewide advocacy days. 

Being the phone call. A meaningful share of our advocacy is simply being the organization an elected official calls when they want to know how a proposal will land in Overton County. That role only exists if you have earned it, and it is worth more than most formal lobbying. 

Current Priorities 

• Rural infrastructure investment, including roads, water and sewer capacity, and broadband 

• Workforce development funding and the alignment of state training programs with rural employer needs 

• Childcare access and capacity as workforce infrastructure 

• Rural healthcare access and the sustainability of rural hospitals 

• Downtown revitalization, historic preservation incentives, and the tools that make rural building rehabilitation financeable 

• Tax and regulatory policy that does not impose metropolitan compliance burdens on small rural employers 

How Members Can Engage 

Advocacy works when it is not just the Chamber staff talking. Elected officials at every level respond to the constituent who employs people in their district far more readily than they respond to an association. 

If you want to be involved, tell us. We will let you know when an issue affecting your business is moving, we will help you make your case clearly, and we will make sure you are talking to the right person. Serving on the Chamber's government affairs committee is another direct way to shape the positions we take. 

Contact the Chamber at (931) 823-6421 or admin@overtonco.com.