The Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to Selma, the beautiful and friendly town, situated on a bluff high above the rolling waters of the Alabama River.
The City of Selma was founded in 1820 by a group led by William Rufus King, the only Alabamian to ever be elected Vice President of the United States. This historic city boasts the largest historic district in Alabama, with many of its over 1200 structures dating back to the 1800's. Antebellum and Victorian homes now house specialty shops, museums, restaurants and offices. Visitors from all over the world come to visit sites throughout the community including four museums, Civil War sites and Voting Rights landmarks, the famous Edmund Pettus bridge and the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. Selma was designated the Butterfly Capital of Alabama by the state legislature in an effort to stimulate the return of the butterflies in gardens around the city.
Today, the city and county have a diversified industrial and business base and is home to some 100 manufacturing facilities, employing over 17,000 workers. The Chamber of Commerce works towards the continuation of a favorable environment for local businesses.
Chamber programs include quarterly Buttonhole Breakfasts, Ribbon Cuttings for member businesses, Business After Hours and forums for members to network. The Chamber was responsible for implementing and overseeing the Crime Stoppers program which works closely with local law enforcement agencies to make Selma a safer place to live and do business.
The Small Business Development Center at the University of Alabama chose the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce as one of the five original sites to locate the Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network (AERN) which provides start-up information for small businesses.
Each Fall, the Chamber produces a Membership Directory and Buyer's Guide which is used as a resource for newcomers, employee recruitment to our area and as a referral source for local businesses. Members receive an annual membership window "cling" to designate their business as a certified investor and will soon be able to add a similar version to their own web site. In 2006, the Family Host and the Shop Selma and Save member to member discount programs began and planning is underway for several other new initiatives.
The Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce relocated to the historic Carnegie Library building in late July 2003. This move facilitated the consolidation of the Chamber, Economic Development Authority, the Tourism and Convention Bureau and Leadership Selma-Dallas County offices at the Centre for Commerce, 912 Selma Avenue. This partnership offers visitors to Selma a "one stop shop" for visitor, business and industrial information.