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Joe Turi knows the benefits of belonging to a local chamber of commerce. And now the folks at Mentor Dental Clinic do, too. Ditto for Brian Moore, vice president of operations for Moore Counseling & Mediation Services in Euclid.

Turi, president of Myriad Benefits Agency in Wickliffe, helped Mentor Dental Clinic save more than 30 percent on the cost of its health care by switching to Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield via the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce. The small dental practice also received a 4 percent discounted group rate as a member of NOACC.

“In this economy, many companies don’t join a local chamber of commerce,” Turi says. “But the return on investment by belonging to one is worth it. In every meeting we have with a client, we ask them if they belong to a chamber of commerce. We’ve gotten a dozen and a half companies to join them the past couple years.”

The cost to join a local chamber varies by the size of the business, from only $50 to $100 for a sole proprietor to an average of $125 to $250 for small- to medium-size businesses. Larger businesses would pay more.

Once a business joins a chamber that is a NOACC member, the business automatically becomes a member of NOACC. The chamber of commerce joins NOACC with an initiation fee of $100 and then pays annual dues based on the size of the chamber.

With the cost of employee benefits rising, employers look to their health insurance plans to formulate long-term cost savings. They want to continue providing security for their employees while helping to alleviate the financial hardship some plans can have on a small business.

For more than 15 years, NOACC has been working with local chambers on behalf of businesses to create cost-savings programs. Such programs can include as much as a 4 percent premium discount on Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield health insurance, group rating for workers’ compensation and significant discounts on other products such as credit card processing and office supplies.

As members of the Euclid Chamber of Commerce, Moore Counseling & Mediation Services leveraged group buying power through the NOACC office supplies program to furnish its new space from top to bottom.

“As a small business owner, you look to get the best deal possible for your expenditures,” says president Martina Moore. “However, the real savings for us was the time I saved working with Independence Business Supply. They took care of everything, from start to finish. The level of professionalism and communication we received helped us to complete a project that would have been a headache to any business owner.”

As a one-stop shop for business services, NOACC works with local chambers of commerce to ensure businesses have access to the group buying power of almost 35,000 chamber members throughout northern Ohio. With these savings, a business owner can look for ways to become a cornerstone in Northeast Ohio’s economic development goals.

“NOACC is proactive,” Turi says. “They get it. We’re pleased to work with NOACC. They help us help our clients. They help businesses grow and reduce their cost of doing business.”

Kathy Berkshire, NOACC chairman and CEO and president of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, says a lot of businesses understand the value of their local chamber.

“With the economic climate, businesses are joining their chamber of commerce to take advantage of the networking and other benefits we offer,” she says.

Now more than ever, employers need to be looking at long-term solutions to become more financially viable. That will remain true even after the recession passes.

Membership in the local chamber of commerce can help a business find the solutions it needs through NOACC. Visit noacc.org, and find out where the cost savings begin and your business’s recession ends.