How the Opelika Chamber Put AI to Work in Its Own Office First
TL;DR
The Opelika Chamber of Commerce used AI on its own data and systems before asking members to try it.
We started with a survey of the whole staff. The shared worry was sounding like AI, so everything was built in the Chamber's voice.
We built workstations for Sponsorship & Events and Membership, a multi-year sponsorship sell-through analysis, customized Claude seats for all 9 members, connected 10+ systems, and built them morning brief and the week ahead skills just to name a few.
A person approves everything before it reaches a member. That rule is written into the Chamber's AI policy.
Results: All 9 staff members active, 713 working sessions in 60 days, and 90% of monthly users use it daily.
The challenge
The Opelika Chamber of Commerce runs on a staff of nine. That team serves more than 1,000 member businesses and produces over 330 events a year, from ribbon cuttings and networking events to SNOPELIKA, the Chamber’s Christmas parade. It also runs REACH, the Chamber’s annual sponsorship campaign. In 2024, the Chamber was named National Chamber of the Year.
What we built
Staff pre-survey and walkthrough. We surveyed staff before day one to learn how they already used AI and what concerned them.
Workstations with Chamber context and voice. Sponsorship & Events and Membership, each set up to write like the Chamber.
Sponsorship sell-through analysis. Three years of sales and 500+ pages of sponsorship inventory reviewed item by item, with AI as an analyst, not a writer.
Connected systems. Membership, sponsorships, and finance linked so answers draw from all three.
Room booking answers inside the conversation.
Morning brief. The Morning Brief pulls each person's mail, calendar, and tasks into one daily summary.
Human-in-the-loop AI policy. Nothing reaches a member without a person approving it.
Three systems, one conversation.
A person approves everything before it reaches a member.
Results
All 9 staff members active
713 working sessions in 60 days
90% of monthly users use it daily
790 questions answered from the live GrowthZone record
364 event attendees who never joined, now a prospect list
41 member records flagged for cleanup
Estimated hours/employee saved through 60 days: 5-10 hours/week
REACH analysis: 21 items to retire, 46 to increase, 60 with no historic buyers
In their words
"I’m truly thrilled with the output. We've been able to pull some great reports, specifically on inventory decision making. It's been a huge asset to our REACH campaign."
Mackenzie Poole, Vice President Events and Sponsorships
“I just say, ‘Create a project in Asana for our industry tours,’ and it builds the whole thing, tasks and Monday and Thursday follow-up reminders, instantly. It also tells me who emailed me that I haven’t gotten back to yet. Claude knows where I left off.”
Joel Alvarado, Director of Business & Workforce Development
What's next
On Nov 17, 2026, the Chamber opens this up to members at AI: Built for Business, a hands-on morning for Opelika-area owners.
FAQ
Why did the Chamber use AI internally before offering a member workshop?
So staff could test it on their own data and systems first so that they could share how they really use it with members. And of course, they wanted to save time and improve the quality of their work.
Does the AI send anything to members on its own?
No. The Chamber's AI policy requires a person to approve anything before it reaches a member.
How long did it take?
Right after kickoff, every staff member had their own customized Claude seat and a few starter skills, and they were seeing benefits within days. Each week for five weeks we released new workstation features and skills, and the team used them right away and gave feedback. By the end of the five weeks, the workstations were fully built.
What is an AI workstation?
A workstation is an AI setup built around one team, like Sponsorship & Events or Membership. It connects to the systems that team already uses and holds the instructions, voice, and repeatable tasks for that job, so staff start from their real work instead of a blank chat box.
What systems did it connect to?
More than 10, including the GrowthZone member database, email, and calendars. Some systems connect in a few clicks. Others need a custom connector or an integration tool like Make or Zapier, which are also simple to set up.
How is member data kept private?
Member records stay in GrowthZone, the Chamber's secure member database. Claude reaches them through a custom connector we built, with rules that control what it can read and what it can do. The Chamber uses a Claude Team plan, and under Anthropic's commercial terms, its data isn't used to train AI models and the Chamber stays in control of it. And a person approves anything before it goes to a member.
How did you keep the writing from sounding like AI?
Each person was set up with the Chamber's overall context and voice. Then each person was set up with their unique voice based on their own actual emails and chat messages (MS Teams). It even picks up on how they communicate with colleagues versus members. Finally, it understands that chat messaging is different than email.
Could my business do the same thing?
Yes. We usually start with a discovery call, then survey your team and audit your systems. That way the right systems are connected with the right permissions, and the skills and workflows we build fit how your business actually works.
Practical AI. No hype. Just ROI.
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