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Membership

Membership

The Greater Freeport is a public/private partnership where we combine the traditional functions and activities of a chamber of commerce, economic development corporation, convention and visitors’ bureau and main street program. Your membership in the Greater Freeport Partnership benefits and supports all of these activities.

Benefits of Membership

Your membership supports a wide range of activities and programs that are designed to advocate for the region, drive economic growth and champion a talented, workforce-ready community.

  • Efforts to attract and recruit new businesses to Stephenson County.
  • Addressing workforce issues in Stephenson County, including employee recruitment and retention.
  • Support of existing businesses in the County by providing educational, promotional and other resources.
  • Promoting economic development opportunities in the County.
  • Promoting tourism and visits to Stephenson County and the communities within Stephenson County.
  • Hosting numerous community events and more than 30 networking events each year.
  • Encouraging and promoting entrepreneurship within Stephenson County.
  • Advocacy of business and community issues of importance to our stakeholders and members.
  • Supporting your employees through engagement and affinity groups such as the Young Professionals Network (YPN), the Women’s Enrichment Network (WEN), the Partnership Ambassadors and educational programs throughout the year.

General Member Benefits

There are a number of services offered to all members. These benefits work toward our strategic goals of helping business owners and organizations become more involved in the community, providing education, promotion of business topics and offering services to compliment and move your organization forward.

General Member Benefits include:

  • Weekly membership e-newsletter
  • Weekly tourism and events e-newsletter
  • Notification of information and regulation important to local businesses, especially in times of duress and crisis
  • Opportunity to include your news and events in the weekly e-newsletters
  • One set of membership labels including all members of the Partnership each year
  • Community welcome packets for prospective employees and/or company visitors
  • Customized community tours for VIP employee recruitment
  • Free use of the Partnership conference room when available
  • Discount ad in the community guide
  • Opportunity for first rights to sponsor Partnership events
  • Opportunity to be a host of Partnership events such as Business After Hours, Rise n’ Shine, YPN events, networking activities and meetings and events such as the Pretzel City Winefest.
  • Opportunity to attend the Partnership Golf Outing
  • Priority involvement in Partnership events and seminars
  • Priority listing in the Partnership Community Guide
  • Use of the Partnership A-Frame signs and other special event equipment.

What Else Can We Do for You?

The benefits listed above are a great way for us to introduce you to the wide range of services and assets we can offer your organization, but it may not be exactly everything you need. Every business is unique, and we want to hear from you!

Whether you are in search of specific data services, employee training, recruitment tools, a prospect introduction or any other needs, the Partnership is happy to help or connect you with to the resources who can.

Levels of Membership 

The Greater Freeport Partnership has two primary levels of membership.

Basic Members

This is our primary level of membership. Members at this level can take advantage most of our member benefits and can be involved in all events and programs, get involved on our committees and participate in our networking groups.

Partnership Level Members

Partnership Level members are those members who make an extra donation to support the work of the Partnership, especially economic development, workforce development and community improvement efforts. Partnership Level members provide us with input on areas we should focus on, opportunities and threats to the business community of Stephenson County and northwestern Illinois. Partnership Level members, to show our appreciation for their extraordinary support, receive sponsorship credits, get invited to exclusive issue briefings and updates, and more. If you are interested in becoming a Partnership Level member, contact us!

Key Industries

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Healthcare

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Construction, Plumbing, Heating, & Service

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Private Label Food Manufacturing

Calendar Feed

Blog Feed

2023 Partnership Award Nominations Now Open! December 6, 2023 Please take a moment to nominate the businesses or people who are doing great things in Freeport and Stephenson County. Award winners will be announced at the Greater Freeport Partnership Annual Dinner on February 22, 2024 at the Masonic Event Center. Please click each link to be directed to the nomination form. The criteria for each award are listed in […]
Partnership & City Committed to Serve in 2024 December 5, 2023 Economic Development, Freeport, greater freeport partnership, Stephenson County Three weeks ago, the Partnership contacted our membership and asked for your support as we advocated for full funding from the City of Freeport for 2024. You diligently responded to our request with calls, letters, emails, and messages to City Council members. We thank you for your support as it proved instrumental in increasing the City’s funding to within five […]
Applications open for NewBiz grants for new start-ups in 2020 & 2021 November 30, 2023 Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced $25 million in available grant funding through the Back to Business (B2B) NewBiz program. Businesses that launched in 2020 or 2021 and remain in operation have faced significant impacts during the pandemic, but they have not been eligible for other federal or state relief programming since they were […]
Guest Columnist Michelle DeHaven Quast: Philanthropy is for Everyone November 29, 2023 givingtuesday November 28 is worldwide GivingTuesday, a day that, according to the organization’s website, is: “a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity.” My question is, shouldn’t that be every day? And, yes, I realize that sounds very self-serving coming from the CEO of one of the largest philanthropic bodies in our region, not to mention the only local […]