Chapman is a longtime presence in the local chambers of commerce, starting in 1980, when she joined the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce as a secretary. She worked her way up to assistant executive director with affiliate chambers, and in 2002, she joined Corridor 9 as vice president.
She’s been president since 2014 and has grown the chamber into the largest business organization in MetroWest, with more than 500 businesses and organizations from 67 towns and cities from Worcester to Boston to Rhode Island, hence the Corridor 9/495 name.
The chamber welcomed 110 new members in 2024 and produces 60 programs and events per year, including MetroWest’s longest business expo with more than 100 exhibitors and 1,000 attendees. The expo resulted in new business sales from $5,000 to $100,000, and its two referral programs generated $500,000 in new business. To date, the chamber has awarded more than $400,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors. On its annual community service day, chamber volunteers picked and donated 8,000 pounds of apples to local food hubs.
Laura Finaldi is a former WBJ reporter and current freelance writer.
