As a lifelong entrepreneur with a background in marketing, Linabury said he is uniquely suited for his current role with the chamber as he knows firsthand the challenges business owners face.
Linabury sat down with Community Impact for an interview May 7 to discuss the chamber's evolution as it approaches its 35th anniversary this summer, as well as the changing landscape of East Montgomery County's business community. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
I have a passion for local brands because they are the only thing that keeps communities unique—it’s what gives them personality. Without them, we’d kind of all look the same with the big brands—which we need as well—but being able to help the local brands has always been a passion of mine.
How has the chamber's membership changed during your tenure?
This chamber traditionally averaged at about 300 members over the years, and we were able to increase that average to 500 members within three years of my first calendar year [as president and CEO], and that’s where we kind of maintain right now. The first quarter of this year compared to last year, new membership was up 45%. So when I see things like that, it lets me know that business is confident in our area [and] they see value in our chamber. We’ve been able to more than double our budget, and we put that back into our programs that every member can benefit from.
What do you attribute this membership growth to?
We adopted a member-focused, opportunity-driven philosophy that we believe is a game changer for our chamber. Chamber membership, we feel, is that step above just doing business in the community, it’s being part of the business community, and we really feel that, that has made a difference too. People feel that they’re contributing to something bigger than themselves, and that seems to resonate.
What is the role of a chamber in a community?
A lot of people think it’s just networking and ribbon-cuttings, but we do a lot more than that—we're a voice for businesses. We have a leadership program—Pathway to Leadership EMC—and we are getting into the workforce development space. We're working with our school districts and learning from our business community where the skill gaps are, and serving as a conduit between the two. Chambers are also known for advocacy; we're not activists, but we advocate.
What challenges are businesses in East Montgomery County facing today?
East Montgomery County is growing at a record pace. They know it’s becoming more of a competitive market. Some of the businesses really didn’t have much competition in the area, and so they’re having to step up their game and figure out ways to market and connect and make sure people know about them. And there’s generational changes too—you can’t rely on your old customers for everything anymore; there’s a whole bunch of new customers, and how do you connect with them?
Is there any state legislation the chamber is keeping an eye on this session?
This year, we’re still watching the commercial property taxation piece. Homeowners ... are getting all kinds of [property tax] protection and relief, [but] commercial doesn’t have any of that and ... there is no control on the property appraisal side of it. And so for the very first time, they put what was called a "circuit breaker" on it in the last legislative session in 2023, ... but it was temporary. So we’re really hoping something permanent will go in place because that directly affects the business community. Not every business owns the land, but somebody does, and they’re the ones charging the rent and passing it on [to tenants].
What do you see for the future of East Montgomery County's business community?
We have a lot of hospitality-based businesses—food and retail—which is a great indicator because that’s really a stepping stone in the economic development piece. So you’ll start to see more managerial companies and corporations looking for headquarters starting to look at this area. You’ve [also] got to have quality places to live ... so with the new master-planned communities that are coming in here, you can start to understand how it all is coming together, but none of it happens overnight. But the landscape of East Montgomery County looks a lot different today than it did 10 years ago.
