Your Chamber

In 1904, a group of forward-thinking Warsaw businessmen took steps to help the area’s future. With the formation of the 10,000 Club, these men sought to promote growth and development for Warsaw.

On January 25, 1925, a community meeting was held at the Hays Hotel. Area businessmen, members of the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club and other parties interested in community growth were encouraged to attend. A proposal was presented at the meeting to reorganize the Chamber of Commerce, changing its focus to become a larger, more active organization to help bring factories to Warsaw, and to improve the overall betterment of the Community. J.E. Headley, a local attorney and president of the Chamber, chaired the meeting.

On June 5, 1947, the Chamber deeded three parcels of land purchased as the result of a community fundraising effort to establish the Warsaw Memorial Airport. In June 1958, United Way of Kosciusko County, Inc. originated from a meeting the Chamber held with a representative of the United Fund to discuss the possibility of a local organization.

Around 1961, the Chamber and the Industrial Division consolidated. During this time the Kosciusko County Foundation was also spun off from the Chamber in 1968, becoming the Kosciusko County Community Foundation we know today. From 1969 to the late 1970s, the Chamber office was located on the northeast corner of Lake and Market Streets. It moved to 313 S. Buffalo Street in 1979.

In 2011, the Chamber, which had nearly 600 members, was recognized as a leading organization among the state’s Chamber of Commerce groups. (Source: “A History of the City of Warsaw, Indiana” by Michelle J. Bormet)

In July, 2014, the Chamber began a soft launch of their name change from the “Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce” to the “Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce”. This was done for the name to better represent the coverage area that the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce serves.