Weekly Roundup - June 25, 2021

Envisioning a More Prosperous Future

With economic recovery top of mind for chamber leaders, now is the time to double down on catalytic community partnerships and efforts to create a compelling vision for the future of our communities. 

"It's all about reigniting this economy, being really intentional and thoughtful about how we create a community plan that helps us to have a truly sustainable economy that encourages all in the community to participate," Fort Collins Area Chamber President & CEO Ann Hutchison said in a recent story about the launch of Northern Colorado Prospers 2.0.

In a recent story about the launch of Conway2035, Conway Area Chamber President and CEO Brad Lacey, CCE said that his planning committee didn’t want to let Covid impact their planning efforts. He said, “Every one of them said, 'Absolutely, let's move forward. This brings hope to people. We need to think about things other than Covid, and we need to be prepared for what's on the other side of this.'" 

We’d love to learn more about how your chamber is approaching this challenge. Email you examples to Will Burns at [email protected]. Here are a few examples to look to for inspiration:

• Conway Area Chamber: Conway2035
• Fort Collins Area Chamber: Northern Colorado Prospers 2.0
• Asheville Area Chamber: AVL. Greater.
• Greater Louisville Inc.: Now Louisville
• Greater Kansas City Chamber: Big 5 Initiatives
• Rome Floyd Chamber: Rise & Thrive 2025
• Hempstead County Chamber: Thrive Hempstead Co.
• The Chamber of Commerce for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro: Big Bold Ideas
• The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia: Recharge & Recover PHL
• Knoxville Chamber: Path to Prosperity 
• Greater Omaha Chamber: Greater Omaha 2040 

#ChamberStrong Initiatives  

• The Kent Chamber, Renton Chamber and Seattle Southside Chamber came together to host the 2021 PNW Economic Equity Summit earlier this week. The event brought together subject matter experts, industry leaders and other key stakeholders to explore the state of economic equity in King County, Washington, with an emphasis on healthcare, housing, and policy.
• The Association of Washington Business is hosting 10 transportation listening sessions a in cooperation with local chambers across the state to get input from the business community on a possible legislative package.
• The Greater Kansas City Chamber and a coalition of partners to build a new career campus at the Lansing Correctional Facility to provide education and skills training in order to reduce recidivism and help address the state’s workforce challenges.
• Wisconsin LGBT Chamber President & CEO Jason Rae was featured in the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Executive Insights series to share more about his vision for the organization and its mission to create a more diverse and inclusive climate in the business community.
• The Juneau Chamber boosted the incentives of its Healthy Juneau Initiative, a program to encourage residents to get vaccinated. Residents who get their first vaccine or a single-dose vaccine at select locations will immediately receive a $40 in gift cards to local businesses and be entered into a $1,000 cash drawing.
• The Greater Miami Chamber is launching a political action committee to support business-friendly candidates for public office. Chamber President Alfred Sanchez said, “This PAC and its seasoned inaugural board will be the catalyst that propels local enterprise with a cohesive voice that effects positive change throughout our community.”
• The Greater Omaha Chamber’s Greater Omaha WorkLab program supports companies by providing onsite Community Navigators to support employees in life so they can meet their potential at work. The navigators help employees with every day struggles like finances, relationships, mental health and more.
• The Forsyth County Chamber launched the OneForsyth Initiative to foster an inclusive, thriving community for all. The initiative celebrates differences and champions inclusive prosperity for all in Forsyth County.
• The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce received a $180,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) to create a startup resource cooperative to promote regional recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19.
• The Grand Rapids Area Chamber hosted the West Michigan CEO Summit to provide a forum for the region’s executives to collaborate on key priorities. “By moving forward together and continuing to collaborate, we have a tremendous opportunity to address the pressing issues that have come to light,” president and CEO Rick Baker said. “Issues such as child care, inclusion, inequities, public health, the future of work, infrastructure and talent.”
• The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii recently launched Hawaii is Hiring, a one-stop online resource that connects residents to job opportunities, training programs and career navigation. It provides a streamlined job board and simple access to training and education tools valued in the state’s in-demand and emerging industries.
• The Maryland Chamber Foundation created its Teacher Externship Program to build a bridge between businesses and the future workforce by empowering educators with the most up-to-date industry information. This summer marks the third year of the program, which has 25 teachers poised to extern at 13 companies.

What We’re Reading

• New York Times: Biden and Senators Reach Broad Infrastructure Deal
• LinkedIn: 10 cities where tech strength defies the pandemic
• HBR: 5 Models for the Post-Pandemic Workplace
• Route Fifty: How Cities Are Using Citizen Feedback to Guide Federal Relief Spending
• McKinsey & Company: How to future-proof your organization
• Google: Google’s CMO shares her team’s inclusive marketing toolkit: ‘We have to be all in’