It is hard to believe that my first year in this role has come and gone. It has been the absolute honor of a lifetime to serve our membership, businesses, and community. Last fall, at our board retreat, our organization committed to doing a number of things. This included an organizational audit and a new strategic plan. Certain elements of our organization were affirmed: we have an amazing staff; we have award-winning programs, events, and communication; we exceed industry benchmarks for membership and retention. Other elements were revealed: we need to be more effective with advocacy; we need to be thought-leaders on public policy; and we need to find a way to be more innovative in support of our mission and vision.

This fall, we are extremely excited to announce some additions to our Chamber. We believe these changes will grow our influence at all levels.

New strategic plan

Thank you to all who participated in our strategic planning focus groups. We will be sharing our new strategic framework this fall and look forward to the discussions that will ensue.

If you did not participate in any of our seven focus group conversations, we invite you to complete a survey; link shared below.

New initiative

Additionally, this fall, we are excited to share a bold new initiative that will give us the opportunity to have a deeper impact on our businesses, community, and economy.

I am grateful to the Chamber staff, our board, and the stakeholders in our community for your support in year one. With continued support, year two will be even better and I look forward to collaborating with everyone to advance business conditions, community development, and economic development.