About Us

In the 1980s, The Brown County Chamber of Commerce was started by a group of individuals passionate about promoting Brown County through tourism but also as an attraction for the businesses as well.  “We would meet monthly at a restaurant on the golf course called Lakewood,” Stan Purdy, one of the founding officers of the Brown County Chamber of Commerce. “We realized that there were under-utilized assets in the county such as Georgetown being the home of a President, being on the path of Morgan’s Raiders, and the history of the Underground Railroad. We had a Georgetown Chamber, but we were advised to start a county wide chamber to augment the attractions of county as a whole.”

In July of 1983, the Brown County Chamber of Commerce became official with the expressed purpose to “develop, advance, and improve agricultural, civic, commercial, industrial, and tourist activity.” According to Clyde Taylor, one of the original founders, “Sr. Xavier Ladrigan of Chatfield College was our first President. We would meet regularly at the Eagles Hall.”

“Like the county itself, the Brown County Chamber of Commerce has grown to meet a need that was lacking in the community,” said Lynn Harden, Brown County Chamber of Commerce President. “The Brown County Chamber of Commerce serves as the county’s central hub of business communications, events, networking, and training for the county. The Chamber has grown to include more than 250 businesses, adding new businesses every year.”