The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 400th member at a reception Wednesday night.

The 400th member is Wiseman-Hughes Enterprises Inc., a housing developer that built in the western suburbs for about 46 years, said Judy Keene, the company’s sales manager.

“We are very excited about coming into DeKalb, and to be able to build new homes and to be a part of the growth of DeKalb,” she said.

City Manager Jim Connors also is excited to see the new member of the chamber.

“I am pleased to see that our 400th member is Wiseman-Hughes,” Connorssaid. “They called us and asked ‘What is it that the community wants in a development?’ They have added a lot of amenities and have truly made a commitment to the community and the neighborhood concept.”

Keene saw the Chamber of Commerce Web site and wanted to get the company involved.

“We are looking forward to meeting new people and learning a lot about the area,” she said. “We are building a new community in Sycamore, hopefully next year, so we plan on being here for a couple of years. I think it is exciting.”

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1923 and incorporated in 1928 as a not-for-profit corporation by the state. It faced many challenges along the way.

“This is a multi-year process,” said Scott Ellenberger, the president and CEO of the chamber. “The chamber had to create programs and services that make it appealing to the business community.”

In a speech given at the reception, Randy Bourdages, chairman of the board, set the tone for the chamber’s future.

“Having 400 members means that the business community is ready to come together and join voices to advocate for themselves, one another and this community,” he said. “My hope is that the chamber will be viewed as a leadership organization, not just the host of networking events.”

The chamber’s new goal is to reach a membership of 500.

“I remember back in 1998 when we were celebrating the 200th member and that was a big deal,” Connors said. “Then there was 300 and now, 400. This shows that the chamber has been effective. I look to them as the voice of the business community.”

Although the chamber has been recruiting members, there still is room to grow. Bourdages said 40 percent of all of the area businesses participate in the chamber.

“There are certain segments of the health provider industry that we would like to recruit from, as well as a large community of industrial businesses,” Ellenberger said. “We are here to help promote, market, and inform our members. We’re also here to promote and market the entire community by way of basically being an information resource.”