Kayla here. Kerry Driggers was one of my first bosses, back in the old Free Times location on Main Street. Now, she's the President and CEO of the Greater Irmo Chamber of Commerce, a role she took on in 2015 that still fuels, challenges, and inspires her daily.

I caught up with Kerry for BizBrief to learn more about how the Chamber operates, how businesses can get involved, and how her leadership style has evolved.

What exactly does a Chamber do?

If you're not entirely sure, don't feel bad. "Most people don't know what a Chamber does," laughs Kerry. Chambers are private, nonprofit membership organizations. "I don't work for the Town of Irmo, but I work closely with the Town of Irmo," explains Kerry, as the Town and the Chamber are aligned on planning for the future.

"We're considered a small Chamber, with about 500 members, and about 60% of our businesses have ten employees or less." Kerry is passionate about the Chamber's networking events, like its weekly Coffee Talk series held on Tuesday mornings since its start in 2018. "On that first day, we had five people," shares Kerry, "and this week, 122 people put their cards in my bucket."

What can businesses gain from being involved in their area's Chamber?

Local Chambers are big on advocacy, working closely with the state Chamber to let them know what their partners need. At the upcoming SCMC Vision and Voice Tour event happening Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Harbison State Theatre, hosted by local area Chambers, issues up for discussion will include roads, the economy, data centers, Flock cameras, and more.

One of the most valuable aspects of Chamber membership? Connections. "One of the biggest things I do is connect people with the right people to solve their problems," says Kerry. "People are really willing to share their insight and experience, and that's a beautiful thing."

What's your leadership style?

"It's changed tremendously since I came to the Chamber," reflects Kerry. "I’m very cognizant of making sure I don’t ask anybody who reports to me to do anything I wouldn’t or haven’t done myself. I try to lead from the bottom to push people up to the top, because I think that’s why people will follow you — when you help them grow."

The Chamber recently started a young professionals group, the Emerging Professionals Council, "that's taken off." And 'young' doesn't just refer to age, but to anyone young in their career, whether they're getting started in a new role or recently changed industries.

What upcoming Chamber event are you most looking forward to?

"We have a new event we're doing this year that we're excited about: the Irmo Food and Wine Festival," happening October 15 in Moore Park. Think: local vendors, live music, wine pairings, and craft beer from Craft and Draft.

Keep an eye out for more programming at Moore Park, and on that note, Irmo's parks in general. "We have five of the most beautiful parks in the Midlands," says Kerry. "When people think Irmo, they think Harbison, but we have so many great things going on," like the new small business incubator at Irmo High School. "We're growing, and we're growing quickly."

And when it comes to the Chamber, invites Kerry, "we're not a country club. If you want to come visit my Chamber, you're welcome."