Client communication
Project management
Desk research
Survey writing & distribution
Stakeholder interviews (internal & external)
Deck building
Live presentation
ChamberRVA serves as the greater Richmond area’s business collective.
However, the brand carries baggage. Many see it as an obscure and government-adjacent entity, lagging behind in an era of a growing need for racial and marginalized equity.
➪ A brand audit of the Chamber's website, social media presence, and news articles
➪ A competitive landscape of other chambers of commerce in mid-size cities across the country
➪ A survey of current ChamberRVA members, yielding 31 respondents across various sectors
➪ Interviews with up-and-coming business owners in the greater Richmond region
More established Chamber members feel like they've been able to meet with people who have the same interest in advancing RVA.
Members with smaller businesses have felt marginalized when it comes to involvement in the organization and decision making.
A new wave of business owners feels like the community has been a better resource for business growth than the Chamber has been.
Big businesses, small businesses, and consumers all want Richmond to be a city where business opportunity is accessible to everyone.
➪ A brand audit of the Chamber's website, social media presence, and news articles
➪ A competitive landscape of other chambers of commerce in mid-size cities across the country
➪ A survey of current ChamberRVA members, yielding 31 respondents across various sectors
➪ Interviews with up-and-coming business owners in the greater Richmond region
More established Chamber members feel like they've been able to meet with people who have the same interest in advancing RVA.
Chamber members with smaller businesses have felt marginalized when it comes to involvement and decision making.
Members with smaller businesses have felt marginalized when it comes to involvement in the organization and decision making.
A new wave of business owners feels like the community has been a better resource for business growth than the Chamber has been.
Big businesses, small businesses, and consumers all want Richmond to be a city where business opportunity is accessible to everyone.
We're in a time of increasing diversity, globalism, and rapidly advancing technology that shows no signs of stopping. And commerce needs to catch up. People want small businesses with big impacts. They want corporations to use their power for positive change.
ChamberRVA is committed to improving the region for all through empowering businesses and their stakeholders. You can have a community without a business, but you can't have a business without a community.
Welcome to the Chamber, let’s build a better table together.
We love the River City and surrounding area. There's truly something for everyone here: food, nature, tech, infrastructure, fashion, art, medicine, education, legislation, creativity, passion, and culture.
But for generations, it hasn't felt like it's for everyone.
Our region has a complicated identity that benefits and harms everyone differently. We're changing that. We’re paying attention, learning, and listening in order to create a radically inclusive, equitable, and ethical future.
We share what’s said behind closed doors. Our members will not be in the dark about the decisions being made, the politics behind those decisions, and the practices to be carried out.
We expect our members to hold each other accountable and believe the Chamber is accountable to the region at large. We own the consequences of our actions and do our job to the best of our ability.
We know many consider our region ‘the south.’ Richmond has an undeniable history that plays a hand in who we are today and how we came to be. We will constantly look inward to recognize and reconcile the biases, conditioning, and experiences of past leadership as we move forward.
We cherish differing experiences, education levels, and innovations. Safe spaces will ensure all voices have input, recognition, and impact. We're committed to providing our members with equitable solutions because there’s no blueprint for what every business needs.
We want to see a business world others can't fathom because the centuries-old status quo worked in favor of some, not all. Leading the way for a new era will take persistence, failure, humility, and practice — it’s possible and it’s worth it.
An internal-facing manifesto video.
“I can promise you we wouldn't have gotten here without the insights and thinking from your students. I admit it wasn't a perfect process...working with a non-profit chamber is so much different than what we usually do. But, I'm proud of how ambitious and inclusive the new mission, vision and values. In that way, it's got VCU Brandcenter fingerprints all over it. And frankly, watching all the executives eat it up gave me faith that our business leaders don't have their heads up their ass.”
-Chris Mumford, President of The Martin Agency
Kevin Nguyen, strategist
Karah Smith, strategist
Katie Boller, experience designer
Tracy Okafor, art director
Raven Faux, copywriter
