The Indiana Chamber of Commerce was formed eighty-five years ago by a group of Indiana businessmen who were granted a charter that same year. The members met for lunch regularly over the years, but the chamber functioned as little more than a social club.Things changed in the late 1940's with the faltering of the coal industry, Indiana County’s mainstay. Severe unemployment accompanied a drop in coal production to its lowest point in years.A group of concerned business and professional men who were determined to turn the local economy around chose the Chamber of Commerce as their vehicle. They established the Indiana Community Development Corporation and the Greater Indiana Development Corporation, and together with the chamber they began a drive to raise money for industrial development.

Funds from individual and business donations and the sale of bonds made the drive a success. The money was deposited in a rotating savings account and designated for industrial development only; the fund exists to this day.The first industries to come to the county through chamber efforts were Indiana Sportswear Co., Robertshaw-Fulton Controls Co., Season-All Industries and Fisher Scientific Co. Over the years the chamber has been responsible for bringing in many new industrial and manufacturing firms and for helping a number of others expand and grow.About 1960 the chamber changed its name to the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce and developed a financial division to give assistance to industries interested in locating in the county.

The added responsibilities of a county-wide organization led the chamber to enlarge its board of directors to include representatives from communities throughout the county. While most of the chamber's time and energy was devoted to industrial development, the organization had volunteer committees which assumed community and educational projects.The Indiana County Chamber of Commerce, its board of directors, staff and membership are determined to make Indiana County the most economically viable county in the state and in the global community; through aggressive planning and industrial development.