NOACC

Description

OVERVIEW: Incorporated in 1995, the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce (NOACC) was established to provide tangible benefits of chamber membership to local businesses. NOACC has now grown to over 120 chambers of commerce--some volunteer managed, some county-wide in scope--and some of the NOACC chambers have grown ten-fold with the adoption of these benefits. Click here for a short video, featuring Vicky Hawke, Executive Director of NOACC INCEPTION: The genesis of NOACC started with a group of chamber executive directors gathering on a regular basis in the late eighties. Chambers from eastern Cuyahoga County, Lake County, Hudson and Parma were represented. The directors met about every six weeks to discuss matters of common interest, such as membership, programming, newsletter, and sources of revenue. These meetings resulted in the Lake County Chambers forming a common association in 1991, and other chambers partnering on revenue projects. Early in 1992, Nancy Foreman (Euclid Chamber), Ron White (Beachwood Chamber) and Mae Cisar (Solon Chamber) joint ventured to produce a series of satellite seminars. Beachwood handled the facility, Solon handled the printing, and Euclid handled the registration. The work was shared, the risk was shared, and the profits were shared. In November of 1992, Ron White of Beachwood asked Bill Ryan of Master Benefits to participate in the development of tangible benefits of membership for the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce. In April of 1993, Ryan presented the answer to the Board: a Community Mutual Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance product that offered chamber members deep discounts off standard street rates and standard commissions to agents. All licensed agents were eligible to represent the product, hence attracting the immediate interest of dozens of local agents. Within weeks the word had spread to other local chambers. They saw the potential to compete for local members with real tangible benefits. They saw the capability of growing their chambers through the health insurance agent sales force. The Beachwood Chamber demonstrated no provincialism in electing to share the product. Community Mutual agreed to extend the offering to other local chambers. In rapid succession Euclid, Solon, Mayfield Area, Heights Regional, Westlake/Bay Village (West Shore), Chesterland and Warrensville/North Randall/Highland Hills adopted the Community Mutual health insurance plan. Other chambers, including Burton, Munroe, Stow, Tallmadge, Hudson, Nordonia Hills, Cuyahoga Falls, Middlefield, Chardon Area, and Kent had also indicated interest in the plan, but Community Mutual declared an underwriting moratorium on the Beachwood plan. Some of the chambers were able to adopt lesser versions of the original Beachwood plan. NOACC was incorporated in November 1995 by the three founding chambers: Beachwood, Euclid and Solon, with Ken Kleinman of Kohrman, Jackson & Krantz serving as legal counsel. In December of 1993 several chambers were invited to Beachwood to discuss the feasibility of implementing a common workers' compensation group pool plan.

Products & services

Similar companies nearby