Weekly Roundup - July 30, 2021

#ChamberStrong Examples

• The Greenville Chamber launched Community Insights, a new data visualization dashboard designed as a tool for the business community, residents and policymakers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of the community.
• During a recent interview, Solon Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Tom Bennett discussed how the chamber adapted quickly to serve its members and the community at large during the pandemic.
• The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism in Ontario, Canada have announced plans to merge. Both boards have approved the proposal. If approved by the membership, the unified entity would provide stronger policy influence, more members services and improved training and events.
• The Salt Lake Chamber launched the Wasatch Innovation Network, which includes Utah technology companies, state universities, venture capital, local governments and chambers working together to collaborate on innovation efforts in Utah.
• The Missouri Chamber’s COVID Stops Here campaign allows businesses to apply for recognition based on how many of their employees have been vaccinated.
• The Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce hosted a group of educators and business leaders during a summit to create roadmap of workforce initiatives to address pressing needs while also planning for the future.
• Bruce Katz recently shared some background on the development of Greater St. Louis Inc.’s STL 2030 Jobs Plan, a collaborative effort to lay out a new approach to economic development in the region.
• Williamson, Inc. and the Spring Hill Chamber are partnering to host a job fair in August to help Middle Tennesseans get back to work.
• Greater Boston Chamber President & CEO Jim Rooney discussed the state of Boston’s economic recovery and the city’s hardest hit industries, including the tourism and hospitality sector.
• The Indiana Chamber launched the Indiana Economic Recovery Dashboard to track key economic recovery metrics and benchmark the state’s recovery against neighboring and competing states using 10 key indicators.
• In a recent report soliciting economic recovery ideas from business and education leaders Staten Island Chamber President Linda Baran suggested the city work with community-based organizations and business assistance non-profits to ensure that federal relief grants are directed toward the businesses and communities that were hit hardest by the pandemic.
• The Tallahassee Chamber's young professionals program, Access Tallahassee, launched Access to Reading Little Library project. Members and other volunteers install, decorate, stock, and maintain the boxes of free books in areas of the city that may have barriers getting to a library. The boxes are placed at private businesses, apartment complexes, and residential neighborhoods.

What We’re Reading

• Morning Consult: A Deep Dive Into America’s Political Parties
• NYT: The Infrastructure Plan: What’s In and What’s Out
• Brookings: The American Rescue Plan can be a lifeline for business districts
• Governing: Can Americans Learn to Love – and Ride – Bus Transit?
• National College Attainment Network: FAFSA Completion Continues to Decline