Status Breakdown
Active17982.9%
Likely Active3114.4%
Uncertain52.3%
Likely Closed10.5%
Top-Line Takeaways
1
The community is healthy. 97 of every 100 verifiably operating in 2025 and 2026.
2
Light cleanup work. 1 confirmed closure, only 5 still need a phone call (down from 40).
3
Membership conversion is the prize. Strongest categories (real estate, legal, finance, coaching) are testimonial-ready for the value-of-membership push.
Categories at a Glance
Sorted by category size. Green is active, light green is likely active, amber is uncertain, red is likely closed.
Active
Likely Active
Uncertain
Likely Closed
Action Items for the Committee
Bucket 1
Confirmed Closure
1
Wiz Kidz Cheesesteaks. Allentown permanently closed Dec 2025. Bethlehem temporarily closed. Remove pending Bethlehem reopen confirmation.
Bucket 2
Phone Outreach
5
A 5/7 deep-scrub on the original 40 found verified signals on 35. The remaining 5 (Christophar Divo Atelier, The Consulting Firm, Ciara Marie's Sweet Creations, RIDAS Kitchen, Reign Noir Travels) genuinely need a phone call.
Bucket 3
Engagement Outreach
210 to ~210
Active list businesses to invite to "Maximize Your Membership" events and tap for testimonial videos. Sized once chamber member CSV is shared.
Strongest Testimonial Pool
Per the May 7 meeting, these categories are mostly Active and well-suited to "what membership has done for me" videos.
| Category | Total | Active | Likely Active | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate / Architecture | 7 | 7 | 0 | All Active |
| Black Legal Experts | 2 | 2 | 0 | Both Active |
| Financial / Tax / Notary | 10 | 9 | 1 | Mostly Active |
| Coaching / Consulting | 23 | 22 | 1 | Mostly Active |
Changes from the Initial Cowork Pass
| ID | Business | Change | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 209 | Wiz Kidz Cheesesteaks | Uncertain → Likely Closed | Evidence column already documented closure; status field had not been updated. Confirmed via WFMZ + Yelp on May 7. |
| 115 | Luxe Events & Designs | Likely Closed → Active | Website live (theluxeevents.com) with 2025 copyright and active booking. Original notes had been crossed with the NUVO Enterprise row. |
| 15 | Janice Kenyatta | Evidence + Notes corrected | Status (Active) was right; supporting notes had been crossed with the All Is On Esthetics row. Re-verified author/speaker activity at janicekenyatta.com. |
Deep-scrub update · May 7, 2026. The original 40 uncertain entries were re-verified against Google reviews, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Booksy, Fresha, BBB, news mentions, and current chamber event listings. 35 of 40 found verified 2024 to 2026 activity and were reclassified to Active or Likely Active. Only 5 remain genuinely uncertain and need a phone call.
Membership column methodology. The "Member?" column reflects a Google site-search check that is unreliable for this list because the chamber's own Black-Owned Businesses page is on lehighvalleychamber.org. Treat "Yes" as "appears on chamber-related pages," not as "confirmed paid member." The chamber's real member directory at web.lehighvalleychamber.org is JavaScript-rendered and not crawlable without an authenticated export. Recommend asking Danielle for the chamber's active member CSV so we can size the recruitment opportunity accurately.
Meeting Commitments · Jeff
- Verify accuracy of business list. Complete. 216 businesses scrubbed, 210 active or likely active (97%), 1 closure documented, 5 still flagged for phone outreach.
- Collect testimonials from African American chamber members on the value of membership. Pending. Candidate pool surfaced in the Strongest Testimonial Pool above. Recommended next step: 3 to 5 short video testimonials from real estate, legal, finance, or coaching members for the August Black Small Business Month social campaign.
What Ships Next
Recommended sequence. Share this dashboard URL with Danielle and Akilah for committee review. Ask Danielle for the chamber member CSV. Run 40 outreach calls (split among committee members) to reclassify uncertains. Then build the testimonial mini-series for August's Black Small Business Month.