Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

that started its activities in

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

in 1889. The association continues its activities in its building in Bursa Organized Industrial Zone. The association took part in the realization of the Bursa Organized Industrial Zone which is the first organized industrial zone of the country. Establishment of a cycle power plant in the industrial zone to generate electricity from

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

; The establishment of the Bursa International Fair Center and its pioneering in the establishment of the Bursa Free Zone are among the significant works carried out by BCCI. As of 2018, the most registered members of BCCI are in

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

(20%),

retail trade Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

(15%),

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

and ready-made clothing (10%),

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

(9%). In 2008, BCCI was given an outstanding service award by the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

Main purpose

The aim of BCCI is to meet the common needs of the members, to facilitate their professional activities, to ensure the development of the sector, to ensure the superiority of honesty and trust in the interaction of the members with each other and with the public, and to maintain professional discipline and harmony.

History

The association was established on June 6, 1889, under the name "Bursa Chamber of Commerce", with the initiative of

businessmen A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for th ...

from Bursa, in

Koza Han The Koza Han () is a historic caravanserai (''han'') in Bursa, Turkey. It is located in the heart of the city's historic market district. History Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, was also its center of silk production and trade. ...

under the name Bursa Chamber of Commerce. Then, it became a Chamber of Commerce and Industry by merging with the Chamber of Industry established a year later. 70 new members were registered in 1889, 105 new members in 1890, 14 new members in 1891, 8 new members in 1892, and 42 new members in 1893. In 1927, the number of chamber members reached 1815. BCCI continued its work in a small room belonging to Bursa Municipality after 1906, and then in three rooms belonging to itself behind Emir Han. In 1938 it moved to a building of its own. A new building was built between 1971 and 1973. After continuing its activities in this building between 1973 and 1999, it moved to the new service building built in the Organized Industrial Zone in 1999.

Former presidents

* Sait Ete (1940- 1951) * Baha Cemal Zağra (1951- 1954) * Hayri Terzioğlu (1954- 1960) * Hasan Alkoçlar (1960- 1963) * Kamil Tolon (1963- 1965) * Abdi Biçen (1965- 1969) * Hüseyin Sungur (1969- 1972) * Selahattin Aktar (1973- 1975) *

Ali Osman Sönmez Ali Osman Sönmez (1926 in Momchilgrad – 12 October 2001), is a Turkish politician and businessperson. Life and career Ali Osman Sönmez, who was born in the town of Momchilgrad in Bulgaria in 1926, stayed in Greece for 7 years after comple ...

(1975- 1995) * Celal Sönmez (1995- 2013)

References

Bibliography

* Bursa Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası İlk Karar Defteri, 1889–1904. BTSO 120. Yılı, Bursa Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası, 2009 Access date: 12 March 2022 * Bursa İl Yıllığı, (1973), Ajans Türk Matbaacılık Sanayi, Access date: 12 March 2022 * Trade with Turkey, a Businessman's Guide and Directory, United States. Economic Cooperation Administration, Access date: 12 March 2022 {{Presidents of Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Organizations established in 1889 Economy of Bursa