The Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce was founded on July 11, 1904 when "a mass meeting of citizens of the town of Rocky Mount was held in the Mayor's office." From this, a committee was appointed to nominate a Board of Directors and to submit a constitution and bylaws. The first Chairman of the newly formed Chamber was Mr. J. C. Braswell. At that time, the population was 3,400 and the staff was comprised solely of volunteers.
Many of the early Chamber programs were agriculturally oriented, but in 1940, the emphasis shifted to industrial development. A narrative by William E. Bobbitt dated August 1, 1949 described the goals and objectives of the Chamber in words that mirror today's Chamber Mission Statement: "The Chamber exists to foster economic growth and to advance the commercial, industrial, and civic well-being of the region through a strong, inclusive expanding business base,"... In keeping with that commitment to serve the broader geographic area, The Chamber changed it's name to The Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce in August 1978.
2025 marks the 121st Anniversary of our Chamber. We kicked off the celebration with our 121st Annual Meeting on February 4th, 2025. Join us next year on February 5th, 2026 to celebrate with us!
Today the Chamber is approximately 640+ members strong and growing, representing the interest of over 155,000 residents in the Twin County region.
