Summertime is usually perceived as a time of vacation and easy living but the Chamber Board and staff recognize that members expect a return on their investment throughout the entire year. Significant progress was made from July to September on the organization’s business plan to represent business and promote economic growth including:
- Ongoing efforts to local companies continued with over 65 in-person calls on existing businesses made since mid-March. Additional efforts aimed at retention and expansion of existing businesses included hosting a Roundtable to address the difficulty of shipping experienced by many of our businesses, which puts them at a competitive disadvantage. The Chamber and GJEP also issued a request for proposals to help create a Foreign Trade Zone in the region after consulting with local governments.
- Taking positions on three ballot measures that directly impact the business community including Amendment 69, the single payer health care system, Amendment 70 which raises the minimum wage and Amendment 71 which raises the bar on what is required to change the state constitution (for more details go to our Voter Guide).
- Launching a Total Resource Campaign to provide greater choices to businesses in determining which chamber initiatives they are most passionate about supporting.
- Recruiting 14 middle and high school students for the fourth year of Young Entrepreneurs Academy which transforms students into CEOs of their own companies. In addition, sponsorships and instructors/volunteers were solicited from the business community.
- Investing in the development of the local business leadership infrastructure by implementing the 2016-2017 Leadership Class with 18 students from across the valley participating in the ten-month program which began in September.
- Convening numerous networking venues and opportunities for members including Business After Hours (3 events), Networking@Noon (3 events), weekly Leads groups (3 groups) and the annual Golf Tournament.
Members will be encouraged to complete the annual membership survey by early October to enable to the board to determine the effectiveness of these efforts in meeting their needs and set the stage for the 2017 Business Plan.
Click here to download full version of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce October 2016 Newsletter.