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New chamber of commerce plans to focus on business, social responsibility

"We haven’t had a chamber here in about 20 to 30 years, so if you’re trying to connect with area businesses, you have the old-fashioned way of going door-to-door."

PINEVILLE, N.C. — One of the fastest-growing business areas in Charlotte will now have its own chamber of commerce.

Beginning Thursday, the Pineville NC Chamber of Commerce will begin operations, launching with 40 companies, spanning a five-mile radius from the town of Pineville to southwestern Charlotte, northern Lancaster County, and northern York County.

They’re calling themselves a Chamber of Commerce of the 21st Century, where doing good business also means being socially responsible and helping your neighbors.

“Most chambers have simply done a charitable event once a year or something like that, we believe that charity and social responsibility goes hand-in-hand with the functions of a Chamber,” said John Holobinko, who started the chamber and will serve as its president and CEO. 

Holobinko spent his more than 30-year career in tech, working for both start-ups and technology giant, Cisco Systems.

Initial charities supported by the chamber are the Pineville Neighborhood Place, which focuses on the needs of low-income families, and On Eagles Wings, which focuses on eliminating human trafficking, especially of young girls.

“We are actually the poorest town in Mecklenburg County. Our poverty rate runs between 12 and 15%,” said Jane Shutt, executive director of Pineville Neighbors Place.

Shutt said she’s watched as Pineville has grown over the last several years. The town now has over 1,300 businesses and the surrounding area includes over two times that number, according to Holobinko. But Shutt said connecting with the local community has had its challenges.

“We haven’t had a chamber here in about 20 to 30 years, so if you’re trying to connect with area businesses, you have the old-fashioned way of going door-to-door,” she said.

“One of the things we hear most often is, ‘I had no idea there were so many poor in Pineville.’ So, this helps us build the awareness with our business community and allow them to get involved in the many things that we do,” she said.

Holobinko said he expects to have 100 businesses by year-end and their goal within two years is to have 400 businesses.

“We are extremely pleased that this Chamber has organized and gained such strong traction so quickly,” commented Pineville Mayor Jack Edwards in a press release.

The Pineville NC Chamber is holding its grand opening on Thursday, September 19 at 8:30 a.m. at Cadillac of South Charlotte, 10725 Pineville Rd.

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