Greater Niles Chamber, Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber announce ‘historic’ partnership
Published 12:42 pm Wednesday, October 22, 2025
The Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce and the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce formally announced their official partnership Wednesday at the Bertrand Innovation Center in Niles. (Maxwell Harden / Leader Publications)
The Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce and the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce formally announced their official partnership Wednesday at the Bertrand Innovation Center in Niles. (Maxwell Harden / Leader Publications)
Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber President and CEO Arthur Havlicek speaks during Wednesday's press conference. (Maxwell Harden / Leader Publications)
2nd & Main co-owner Dustin Jankoviak speaks during Wednesday's press conference. (Maxwell Harden / Leader Publications)
City of Niles Mayor Nick Shelton speaks during Wednesday's press conference. (Maxwell Harden / Leader Publications)
Niles Charter Township Supervisor Marge Durm-Hiatt speaks during Wednesday's press conference. (Maxwell Harden / Leader Publications)
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BERTRAND TOWNSHIP — Area leaders gathered at the Bertrand Innovation Center Wednesday morning as two nonprofits joined forces to bolster the Berrien County business community and strengthen regional unity.
The Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce and the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce formally announced their official partnership, marking the first time in Berrien County history that two chambers of commerce have joined forces at this scale.
“I think it signals that Southwest Michigan is serious about competing, not just with other communities, but with communities across the midwest and beyond,” said Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber President and CEO Arthur Havlicek. “It’s a decisive shift towards a unified approach, where each community plays to its strengths but together, we compete as one.”
The Greater Niles Chamber will maintain its own board of directors, retaining control over its specific operations. It will also keep its identity and membership. Members of the Greater Niles Chamber will be integrated into a much larger network, gaining greater regional reach, influence and resources.
For the regional chamber, Havlicek said the partnership allows the organization to be both “a mile wide and a mile deep.” The regional chamber intends to leverage the local expertise of Niles’ leadership to better effect change and ensure Niles gets “more than its fair share” in the economic ecosystem.
The regional chamber will hire a dedicated director for the Niles chamber who will be on the regional chamber’s payroll. This individual will be fully dedicated to the Niles chamber, working full-time out of Niles City Hall.
“[The regional chamber] created a unique structure that really helps empower the local communities,” said Greater Niles Chamber Board of Directors Chair Bryan Van Itallie. “We retain our local leadership, we retain our board, we maintain our governance, we retain our focus on the communities of Greater Niles while gaining access to the broader resources that this region has to offer. We tap into broader networks, deeper expertise, and gain a stronger united voice in regional conversations. So this alignment that is Niles really the best of both worlds.”
Local leaders believe the partnership represents a decisive step toward bridging the long-standing divide between north and south Berrien County.
“What drew us to this collaboration is simple: greater Niles has something special built for us with your business community,” said Olivia Starks, Chair of the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber Board of Directors. “You understand your local market and you’ve been a consistent advocate for this area and that matters. At the South Michigan Regional Chamber, we spent years working to strengthen the region’s economic development ecosystem – building networks, advancing policy and connecting communities across Southwest Michigan because the regions that thrive are the ones that work together. This partnership allows us to bring the regional strength of Greater Niles while learning from your local expertise.
“Together, we can offer more to businesses, better resources, stronger advocacy and a real connection that drives growth.”
Municipal leaders from both the City of Niles and Niles Charter Township voiced their support for the partnership.
“What’s happening today isn’t just a press conference or a name change; it’s a signal that our region is serious about working together,” said City of Niles Mayor Nick Shelton. “For years, people have talked about bridging that invisible line between north and south Berrien County, about how much stronger we’d be if we stop thinking about ourselves as separate markets. Well, today that’s happening. I want to recognize Arthur and his team at Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber… This new partnership shows what’s possible when we focus on progress instead of territory.”
“We are at the precipice of something really great happening,” said Niles Charter Township Supervisor Marge Durm-Hiatt. “With this collaboration, we are moving into a whole new era for Niles Township… Niles Township is the largest municipality in size and in population in Berrien County and we have been the ‘stepsister’ all along, so I’m looking greatly forward to this collaboration. We’ve got a lot of possibilities coming – the bypass corridor, we’ve got the 11th Street corridor, we’ve got so many possibilities and I’m really looking forward to us growing and moving forward.”
