The New Castle County Chamber of Commerce confirmed job cuts this week.
Cited as the reason for the decision to eliminate positions, was the budget. Two departures were confirmed.
Chamber Chairman Timothy Boulden said the job eliminations were painful but necessary. He cited the effects of the Affordable Care Act, which affects the organization’s health insurance program’s revenue.
Boulden is co-owner of Boulden Brothers plumbing and heating company.
The chamber needs to operate like a business, said Boulden, who added that members operating businesses will understand that the painful steps were needed to bring revenue in line with costs.
Last year, the chamber moved from a building in the New Castle Corporate Commons area to the Wilmington Riverfront. Boulden said the new location, while more expensive, gives the organization the opportunity to generate additional revenue through services and space.
The office also home to the chamber’s Emerging Enterprise Center, a business incubator.
Earlier this month, an anonymous party started an online petition drive under the name Better Board Group. The individual indicated the group needed more women and more small business representatives on the board.
Acting Chamber President Robert Chadwick stated last month that neither he nor Boulden had received complaints at that time. The individual sending the email did not respond to a request for comment.
Members are usually not shy about expressing concerns, Chadwick stated, adding that it is “quite unusual for a such a group to form without any general awareness that issues existed among the membership.”
Last year, long-time County Chamber President Mark Kleinschmidt resigned, citing a desire to seek new opportunities. Boulden said the board of the County Chamber will take up the matter of a new president in coming months.
The County Chamber situation is likely to reignite long-running speculation about a merger with the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.
State Chamber President Richard Heffron is retiring from the post and a search for a successor is underway.
