The Chamber's Story
The history of the Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce (OPACC) can be traced back as early as 1916 and was named the Southwest Towns Chamber of Commerce. Many towns throughout the Southwest Cook County area formed the organization.
The Chamber’s prominence in the area increased due to their support of the construction and completion of Southwest Highway, beginning in the late 1920’s. During this time, the chamber was very concerned with road improvements, as paved roads were crucial for community growth and business development. Another concern between 1912 and 1930 was legislation, as there were many new laws affecting income tax, pensions, tariffs and trade.
Orland Park’s involvement with the Southwest Towns Chamber of Commerce can be documented until 1939. Unfortunately, there are no other traces of the organization in primary sources until the Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce was established in 1958, with less than 12 businesses as members. As Orland Park expanded, due to the number of families moving out of the city and into suburbia, so did the Chamber’s membership.
The Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce was located at 9031 W. 151st Street. In 1985, as the area developed, so did the need to relocate a 1917 brick, one-room schoolhouse from its site at 151st Street and 94th Avenue. Officials from the Village, OPACC, Orland School District 135 and the Historical Society discussed the value of the building and decided to relocate it to a more suitable location.
The schoolhouse was moved on August 5, 1986, taking almost five hours to relocate the structure to its current site at 151st Street and 88th Avenue. Following the move, the Chamber spent $10,000 for interior renovations and made the building the new OPACC office. Today, it continues to serve the business and non-profit community in the same location.
A chamber’s purpose is to provide networking events, host community gatherings, provide educational information and to assist with publicity. Today, OPACC has over 460 members and continues to be a valuable business community resource.
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