FOLEY, Ala. - South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and Alabama Gulf Coast Area CHamber of Commerce representatives gave a rundown of a possible merger to chamber members on Thursday and why they think a merger would help strengthen the area.

The two chambers' Board of Directors have discussed the possibility of merging since February, and the two boards voted on March 21 to bring the information about a merger to the members of each chamber in order to seek the approval of a merger into one regional chamber. According to Britton Bonner, chairman of the South Baldwin Chamber, around 90 percent of the board members voted in favor of the merger.

"It all got started with a retreat we did last year," Jo Jo McCarron, chairman of the Gulf Coach Chamber, said. "A lot of the talk was asking why we have two chambers. We talk about regionalism and that is something we really need to think about."

McCarron said he thinks the diversified economies of the Foley area and Gulf Shores area coming together would work.

"We are a regional economy," he said. "What goes on in Foley affects the island, and what happens at the island affects Foley."

The two boards created three "task forces" assigned to three specific areas of a potential merger: by-laws; organizations; and finance. A representative from each group spoke to chamber members and said they believe the merger would be beneficial in regards to the specific area.

Bonner also spoke to members and residents about possible concerns for a merger into a larger chamber. According to Bonner, the three main concerns are whether the merger makes sense, if the unified chamber can protect the identities of the different municipalities and communities and if the merger can protect the small businesses throughout the area.

"I think the model we are presenting does those three things," he said.

Anthony Kaiser, immediate past chairman for the South Baldwin Chamber, said there would be 50 members on the unified chamber, with 38 being voting members. 30 would come from the island and 30 would come from the inland, with each term lasting three years. The line to divide the island and inland is at County Road 10, Kaiser said.

"Any business located south of that line would be considered the island, and any business located north would be in the inland," he said.

There would also be eight "special appointment" voting members that would have one-year terms.

According to Bonner and McCarron, they hope for a vote of each chamber's members to take place by the end of April or early May. Bonner also said there must be at least a 75 percent approval from all members in order to approve the merger. He said if a member does not vote, then it does not count as an affirmative vote and basically works as a negative vote.

"This won't go forward without the members," he said when asked why there would be no abstentions. "We're not going to get 100 percent on this. We want this to be membership driven and successful."

The municipalities that would be effected form the merger are Elberta, Foley, Gulf Shores, Magnolia Springs, Orange Beach, Perdido Beach and Summerdale.

The proposed name for the unified chamber is the Coastal Baldwin Regional Chamber of Commerce, but that is subject to change, Jeff Ricks, South Baldwin Chamber board member, said.

The meeting was held in Foley City Hall, and another meeting will take place on Thursday at noon at the Orange Beach Community Center.