On May 2, 1891, the Calgary Board of Trade was formed to "advance commercial, industrial and civic interests and promote integrity and good faith in business". The first president was Calgary's Mayor of the day, Alexander Lucas. He led a group of 46 original members who included merchants, traders, bankers, brokers, mechanics, insurance agents, horse dealers, a hotelkeeper, a gun maker and a chemist.

That original Board of Trade could ever have envisioned how much the landscape of Calgary would change over the next 116 years, and how important a part of that growth they would become.

While the Board's original mandate set out to preserve quality standards, ensure labour conditions and promote trade ethics, government land policies and CPR freight rates soon became important priorities.

Early achievements include the first annual buyers guide, distributed in 1913, and cooperation with other boards of trade across Canada to help western livestock producers survive a serious financial crisis in 1920.

Renamed the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in 1950, the Chamber has played a distinctive role in Calgary's development, by providing leadership and business promotion.

Through the course of two World Wars, the Great Depression, a landmark oil discovery, and celebrating the 1988 Olympic Games, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce has remained committed to the same core values that the original Board of Trade expressed during its first formal meeting in 1891.

But the Chamber has also embraced social and political change. In 1953, the Chamber admitted women to its ranks and in 1985 backed the idea of an elected senate. In 1978, the Chamber bought its own building, formerly the Oddfellows Temple, at the corner of Centre Street and 6th Avenue S.W. in Calgary's downtown core. In 2002, the Board of Directors adopted a new governance model, hiring a paid President and CEO to run the Chamber's daily affairs under the direction of a volunteer Board and an elected chair.

In recent years, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Committees have influenced government leaders to change business practices and regulations in a wide variety of areas. The Chamber's many resolutions have led to positive policy change in agriculture, economic development and small business, the environment and natural resources, fiscal responsibility, health care, international affairs, social policy, tourism and transportation.

Since 2003, the Chamber has been at the forefront of important issues for Canada and the West, with resolutions to help remove the uncertainty caused by BSE, to reduce inter-provincial trade barriers, and to help develop a strategy for sustainability of Alberta's water supply. The Chamber has advocated for increased investment in the Arts, building healthier workplaces, eliminating barriers to full employment and encouraging aging workers to keep working. Within the last year, Chamber resolutions have focused on engaging Older Workers, the Alberta Royalty Regime, an Aboriginal Workforce Strategy and the 2007 Municipal Election.

Now the largest Chamber in western Canada, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce owns and operates its own building and facilities, and boasts a membership in excess of 3,500.

As the Chamber continues to expand its role in the business community, it provides a valuable connection between commercial, industrial and civic interests, and will strive to serve and lead the business community in Calgary for many years to come.