Become A Member
When you become a member of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, you and your business or organization benefit in many ways. Some of the benefits are specific and tangible, like those described below. Other less obvious benefits derive from your support of the local economic community and those working to enhance it.
Upon joining the Partnership, you automatically become a member of the Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce and are entitled to take advantage of the many programs offered.
Benefits of Chamber Membership
Listed below are some of our more popular benefits. To view all benefits by membership level, visit our Join page.
STARKVILLE MAGAZINE & DIRECTORY
The Starkville Magazine and Membership Directory, published annually, is distributed to 5,000 members, businesses, hotel guests, visitors, and new residents annually, providing high visibility to potential customers. Partnership members are listed alphabetically and by classification. Members are also eligible to purchase display advertising.
ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES
We offer many opportunities to publicize your business throughout the year through advertising and sponsorship packages. When you get the message out to fellow members, you’ll be reaching some of the region’s most influential leaders, including not only corporate managers, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and young professionals, but also media representatives, educators, and political and civic leaders who are Partnership members.
INTERNET EXPOSURE
The directory of members listed on the Partnership website provides worldwide exposure for your business. Upon request, links to members’ websites can be added to the Partnership website.
GRAND OPENINGS & RIBBON CUTTINGS
The opening of a new, renovated, or expanded business provides an excellent opportunity for publicity. The Chamber of Commerce Division makes the necessary arrangements and invites key city and county officials and others to grand opening or ribbon cutting. After the event, publicity is provided in Partnership Matters, our monthly electronic newsletter, and photos are submitted to the local newspaper.
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
The highly popular Business After Hours gathering, hosted by area businesses on the third Thursday of the first two months each quarter, offers an opportunity to showcase your firm and network with other members in an informal atmosphere. Partnership members are encouraged to invite prospective members as their guests.
BUSINESS AT BREAKFAST
Join us for Business at Breakfast on the last Friday of every month to make new business connections to help grow your business circle. Have a chance to share about what is going on with your business as you hear from other fellow chamber members about theirs. Hear updates from The Partnership and have a chance to share about other community announcements.
LOCAL DEALS
Member firms are given an opportunity to promote their discounts, coupons, sales, and special offers via The Partnership’s Local Deals page, the Local Deals e-newsletter with hundreds of local subscribers, and social media accounts.
BUSINESS REFERRALS
When potential customers contact the Partnership office, our staff members refer them only to members of the Partnership.
NEW STUDENT PROMOTIONS
Capitalizing on the influx of new students each year, the Partnership provides packets containing coupons, brochures, and specialty promotional items supplied by members to more than 5,000 new students each year, helping your business gain their loyalty when they first arrive on campus.
NEWSLETTER
Partnership members stay informed about the latest business news and upcoming events via the Partnership’s monthly email newsletter, Partnership Matters.
WELCOME CENTER
Members may display their business cards and promotional materials in the Welcome Center at the Partnership’s offices on Main Street where they will be seen by hundreds of visitors each year.
RESOURCE CENTER
Information on a wide range of business-related topics is available for members’ use at the Partnership offices. Data available include community demographics, local and area telephone directories, a community calendar, maps, lists of civic organizations and major employers, an industrial directory, and apartment guides. If you can’t find what you need, the Partnership staff will be glad to help.
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Partnership members and the community at large benefit from the Partnership’s varied programs. Learn more about the programs offered.
HOSPITALITY TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES
Paige Hunt– Director of Tourism has a wonderful service-based customer service training that will equip your employees with all of the tools needed to treat every customer exceptionally.
*For Business Investor, Business Advocate, and Leadership Circle members
PARTNERSHIP MEMBER MAILING LIST
One time hard copy labels with name and address
ROTATING LOGO ON TV IN WELCOME CENTER
Be the center of attention at our Starkville Welcome Center
*For Business Investor, Business Advocate, and Leadership Circle members
WEBSITE FEATURE ARTICLE
Our website, starkville.org, is the hub for all things Chamber, Main Street, Economic Development, and Tourism. Let us spotlight your business with an article on our highly visited website.
*For Business Advocate and Leadership Circle members
FACEBOOK LIVE
Our Partnership Facebook Page is home to over 6,000 followers. Get Featured in a Live Video on our page as we give a tour of your business.
*For Business Advocate and Leadership Circle members
FEATURED SOCIAL MEDIA POST
Your business will be featured in a Facebook post on the Partnership Facebook page.
*For Business Advocate and Leadership Circle members
COMPLIMENTARY SPONSORSHIP CREDIT
The Chamber is host to many events from Business After Hours to Get Swept Up. Sponsorship credit allows you to sponsor the event without having to come out of pocket. Your logo will be featured on our event graphics, and your business can set up a table to hand out marketing giveaways at the event.
*For Business Advocate and Leadership Circle members
PAY-IT-FORWARD PARTNER
Have a business that you would like to gift a membership to. Now you can, with our Pay-It-Forward program. The business recipient will receive all the benefits of a Business Partner Membership completely complimentary.
*For Business Advocate and Leadership Circle members
NAME RECOGNITION ON PARTNERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR WALL
Housed right on Main Street, your business will be featured on our Partnership contributor wall outside of the Main Elevator in the building.
*For Leadership Circle members
LOGO ON EVENTS CALENDAR
Our Starkville events calendar is packed with all things to do in Starkville. Your logo will be featured with the calendar.
*For Leadership Circle members
LOGO ON HOMEPAGE
We proudly showcase your business logo on our highly visited Partnership home page.
*For Leadership Circle members
ANNUAL NETWORKING EVENT WITH CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS
Be in the know about what is happening on a local level with a meet and greet with our City and County Officials at The Partnership
Thriving communities have several common characteristics that set them apart from other communities. They include: a trained workforce with quality jobs available, a welcoming community that is clean, safe and offers many fun community events throughout the year, quality health care and schools, and a vehicle to bring together the assets of our community and leadership from the public and private sectors. The Greater Starkville Development Partnership was created for these reasons and remains invaluable for the future of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.
The visionary leadership provided by The Partnership is such an integral component of the vitality of both individual businesses and the Starkville community as a whole. The Partnership encourages the interconnection required to achieve growth oriented goals and impact that individual businesses could not execute without the creativity and support of The Partnership behind them. Additionally, the city would not be able to implement many of the events and visions for growth without the cooperative collaboration of local businesses and their unique strengths. We are so thankful for the solid foundation of leadership provided by The Partnership that unites us, keeps Starkville strong and guides our efforts for the greater good of the city.
Dunkington chose to get involved with the Partnership to invest in the future of the community through the shared goals and resources their membership brings. “With being a new business there is a lot of mentoring that comes from joining the Partnership. It is a way to network with other people who share the same goals and ask for help and advice regarding all aspects of owning a small business.” owner Brandi Herrington said.
The website that the Partnership promotes Dunkington through brings exposure and thousands of new customers to the area that have an appreciation of all things art. That coupled with the ability to be involved in many Greater Starkville Development Partnership and Main Street Association events downtown gives their business lots of foot traffic from visitors and locals alike.
Within in a day of posting my open position on the jobs board with the Partnership I had multiple inquiries about the position. Because of such a great response from the jobs board I did not have to post my opening in multiple locations. In the one month the position was posted I was able to interview multiple people and even select a highly qualified candidate for the position. Completing the form for the job positing was extremely easy and not time consuming. I am thankful the Partnership has the jobs board as an option for their members. When it is time for my agency to grow again, I will be using the jobs board to post my position again.
The staff wants to see you succeed. They truly have a heart for the business community and you can see the evidence of that in the multiple monthly events they organize. The Partnership makes a great marketing resource for your company through the newsletter, website, social media, and more. There is so much value in joining The Partnership and becoming a member of the business community.
I want to express my gratitude for the job board you provide to local businesses. As a member of the community and a business owner, I have found great value in using the job board to post job openings and find skilled professionals to join my team.
I want to commend your organization for providing such a valuable resource to the local business community. It can be a challenge for small businesses to find the right talent, and your job board has been instrumental in helping us connect with qualified candidates.
I will continue to use your job board for my hiring needs and will also be sure to recommend it to other business owners in the community. Thank you for all that you do to support local businesses and foster economic growth in our area.
We are proud to be Partnership and Main Street members. The Partnership has so many opportunities to get involved and promote your local business, and we are thankful to be a part of that downtown and near MSU!
& VICTORIA FERGUSON
Being a Business Investor in the GSDP has been an essential part of our growth, both economically and as citizens of the Starkville community. Having insight into Starkville’s ongoing civic development along with networking opportunities with other business leaders have proven to be extremely helpful tools as a new startup business.
GOT QUESTIONS?
We’re here to help you succeed. If you have any questions or need assistance with any of your member benefits, please contact Hunter Harrington at hharrington@starkville.org
