40 YEARS STRONG
FME CHAMBER CELEBRATES A MILESTONE - AND A COMEBACK
By Marc Sheforgen
When the Fife Milton Edgewood business community came together four decades ago to form what would
become the FME Chamber of Commerce, Fife was a different place. Fields and farmland still dominated much
of the landscape. The I-5 corridor — now home to a gleaming stretch of Lexus, Audi and
Mercedes-Benz dealerships — was just beginning to reveal its potential as a commercial engine. The
Port of Tacoma's sprawling warehouse districts were still taking shape.
"I-5 is kind of the river of America going north-south between Mexico and Canada on the West
Coast," said Richard Garchow, who joined the Chamber in 1994 and has served on its board for most
of the three decades since, including three terms as chair. "To have frontage on I-5 was very
important."
Garchow watched the Chamber grow from modest beginnings — its early offices were tucked into the
back corner of a local grocery store — into a genuine hub of commerce representing three distinct
but deeply intertwined communities: Fife, Milton and Edgewood. Forty years in, he has one word for what
the anniversary means.
"Success," he said. "To make it through the ups and the downs."
There have been plenty of both.
"We probably went downhill all the way from maybe 75 to 80 people coming to a luncheon down to
about a dozen during COVID," Garchow recalled.
The pandemic that shuttered businesses and scattered workforces hit chambers of commerce particularly
hard. Members who were struggling financially dropped out. Events dried up. The sense of community that
had long defined the FME Chamber became harder to sustain.
But the Chamber held. And now, under new leadership and with a 40th anniversary to celebrate, it is
coming back.
"We're celebrating return — the return of a chamber," said Shanna Styron Sherrell, who
stepped into the role of Chamber president just weeks before the anniversary celebrations began.
A former mayor of Milton, Styron Sherrell brings deep community roots and a refreshingly direct vision
to her new role.
"I just want to make chamber cool again," she said.
For Garchow, Styron Sherrell's mayoral background is precisely what gives him confidence.
"Being the mayor of Milton for the past eight years, she certainly got to know a lot of the
businesses and a lot of the principals and the people," he said. "We're already seeing an
additional uptick."
That uptick is visible in the numbers. Chamber membership currently stands at approximately 90
businesses, with a board-mandated goal of 20 percent growth in 2026. A recent State of the Cities
luncheon drew two new members and four prospective ones through the door. Garchow estimates attendance
is now about 40 percent recovered from its COVID-era low, with momentum building.
Longtime board member and current chair Deb Main, who has watched the organization's ebbs and flows
since joining in 2016, credits Styron Sherrell's leadership for much of the renewed energy.
"People are coming back because they trust her, and they trust the board," Main said.
For Styron Sherrell, the path forward runs through connection. A survey of Chamber members found that
78 percent join primarily to connect. Her response is to build a chamber that makes connection feel
natural. A new initiative called Lunch Link-Up launches this spring: no agenda, no speeches, just
Chamber members sharing a meal at rotating member restaurants.
"Networking happens organically," Styron Sherrell said. "I want to create an atmosphere
where they don't feel forced. Where the connections happen more naturally."
RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE: THE AWARDS RETURN
Woven into the 40th anniversary celebration was another milestone, the return of the chamber's annual
awards, presented for the first time since the pandemic at the December 2025 annual business
meeting.
"I think it was missed," said Main, who helped guide the nomination process. "The people
who receive the awards — they're very proud. And it's great for their business. It validates
them."
Styron Sherrell sees the awards as a natural extension of the Chamber’s core mission.
"It's your fellow business leaders and business professionals who are recognizing you," she
said. "Who doesn't love to be recognized, especially by your peers?"
This year's Emerging Business Award went to Backstage Foundation, a local nonprofit providing dance
education and performing arts opportunities to underserved youth in the community.
"Through the Chamber and business community, we are partnering together to grow the positive
impact within our programming, and to improve the lives of young people in an inclusive and safe
environment," said founder Kari Hovde. "We are grateful to have such a wonderful community
recognizing our work."
Emerald Queen Casino had a particularly memorable afternoon, taking home both the Community Connector
Award and Business of the Year honors. For Peter Chu, who accepted on behalf of the organization, the
recognition reflected something the casino has long believed about its place in the region.
"We have always seen ourselves as part of the community," Chu said, "and are proud to be
a place where people come together, whether they are here to have fun or build a career."
The awards are now set to become a permanent fixture of the December annual meeting, with Styron
Sherrell planning to expand the number of categories in 2026.
The Fife Milton Edgewood Chamber of Commerce turns 40, representing three communities united by a
shared belief that connection is still the most powerful business tool there is. Styron Sherrell, for
one, has no doubt about what comes next.
“Everyone’s cool at 40,” she said.
“I JUST WANT TO MAKE THE CHAMBER COOL AGAIN...AND EVERYONE’S COOL AT 40.”
-Shanna Styron Sherrell
FME Chamber President