About Us:

Originally organized in Wilmington in 1853, the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in 1866 by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly. At that time, Wilmington business leaders appreciated the potential of North Carolina’s largest city and sought to lend guidance to the economic direction of the bustling port. While the Civil War and North Carolina’s secession from the Union delayed the original Chamber’s work, the eventual chartering in 1866 gave Wilmington’s organization the distinction of being the first Chamber of Commerce in the state of North Carolina.

Despite governmental chartering, it is not a governmental entity. Instead, the Chamber has a long tradition of activity in North Carolina as a membership-based, nonprofit organization of diverse membership. Members and volunteers share a single goal of improving the economy and enhancing the overall quality of life in our community by harnessing the collective vision and power of local business.