The United States Chamber of Commerce is a national institution representing the unified interests of U.S. businesses. Its staff of policy specialists, lobbyists and lawyers make up the worlds largest nonprofit business federation. The chamber has grown to represent more than 3 million businesses, nearly 3,000 state and local chambers, 830 associations, and more than 90 American chambers of commerce abroad. Its members include businesses of all sizes and sectors, from large Fortune 500 companies to home-based, one-person operations. The organization s leadership is equally diverse, with more than 100 corporate and small business leaders from all sectors serving on its board of directors. In 1912 United States President William Tafts vision became a reality when a group of 700 delegates from various commercial and trade organizations came together to create a unified body of business interest that today is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.