NILES — In 1919, Four Flags Chamber of Commerce formed in Niles, working to advocate for local businesses. On its centennial birthday, it joined with Southwest Michigan Economic Growth Alliance, which had a focus on regional economic development, to form the Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce.

To honor the historic merger, new president and CEO Jeff Rea said he plans to reboot the organization’s efforts to create a strong business and labor presence in Niles, Buchanan, Niles Charter Township and Bertrand Township.

“It’s kind of an exciting time to be involved in southwest Michigan,” he said. “I think there’s some great things happening.”

Since the merge on New Year’s Day, Rea and his staff has worked to improve themselves internally. Doing so, he said, will give the chamber footing to focus on external efforts — such as business advocacy, business support, entrepreneurial opportunity and education — in 2020.

Part of the internal work came from aligning two chambers together.

Along with the Four Flags/Economic Growth Alliance merge came a contract agreement between the Niles Chamber of Commerce and the South Bend Regional Chamber, of which Rea is also president and CEO.

Rea said the agreement does not detract focus from one area in favor of the other, but bolsters the Niles chamber’s impact capacity.

Bureaucratic overhead was reduced, missions were aligned, cooperative databases were built and best practices were brainstormed through the partnership, he said. Some South Bend chamber staff now also assist in tasks the Niles chamber did not have the staff size to do before, such as graphic design.

“We feel like we’ve been able to bring the organization up to date a little bit, with systems and practices and such that are in line with some of the top chambers in the country,” Rea said.

The cooperation between the chambers is also a testament to the mutual economy the South Bend and Niles areas share. Both are dependent upon one another.

“Our economic boundary and our political boundary are different,” Rea said. “We have this political line, but really it’s all part of the same economy.”

With staff and finances of both chambers settling, Rea said the Niles Chamber is prepared to benefit the business community next year more than it already has this year.

In 2019, the chamber has hosted ribbon-cutting ceremonies and offered networking events for its members.

In 2020, Rea plans to keep member benefits growing while also delving into business advocacy. He said the public servants of the area have been great to area businesses, but direct advocacy will allow the chamber to tackle trickier business issues more effectively.

Rea cited career-focused education, road funding and alignment of streets as examples of policy the chamber could advocate for.

Doing so could better benefit not only the businesses already in Niles but the workforce and entrepreneurs that will enter the area in the future.

“All those public policy decisions have a chance to really impact what happens on the development side and [with] businesspeople taking risks,” Rea said.

The Niles Chamber also hopes to launch a capital expense assistance program in 2020.

When the chamber sold Niles’ Four Flags Plaza to General Capital Group in 2018, it put the money generated into the Hunter Foundation.

Next year, the Niles Chamber plans to use the interest earned to help businesses get off the ground. While Rea said the chamber is still working out the specifics of the program, he said an expense such as Americans with Disabilities Act compliance or fire suppression installation could be covered by the program.

By implementing its 2020 goals, Rea said the chamber hopes to add power behind the wave of economic growth the region has been seeing, from downtown redevelopment to multi-million, even billion-dollar projects.

Rea said he believes the area is well-insulated from a potential recession because of its diversity of industry, its partnership with the South Bend area and the tenacity of business leaders, entrepreneurs and city officials.

“The conditions have been ripe, and people have been pulling the same direction,” he said. “What you end up with [are] really good indications of the economy.”