The mission of the Grand Junction Area Chamber is to promote economic growth and represent business.
To achieve this, we operate under the following guiding principles:
- A Healthy Business Climate Creates a Sustainable Community: We believe that no community can be sustainable and provide services required by its citizens without a healthy business climate that encourages private enterprise and job creation.
- Representing and Advocating for Business is a Member Expectation: We will represent and advocate for the business community by utilizing a decision-making process that encourages member involvement and participation. Board decisions are based on what is in the best interest of the majority of members.
- Professional Connections & Networking Opportunities Build Business: We will facilitate professional connections by providing networking opportunities that support long-term business relationships, promotes diversity and promotes inclusiveness.
- Quality of Life is Integral to our Economic Vitality: We will be good stewards of the Grand Junction area quality of life. We promote the economic and cultural growth of the community and its citizenry while protecting the environment for future generations.
- The Success of Colorado Mesa University is Key to Economic Development: The continued growth and development of Colorado Mesa University outlined in the “CMU 20,000 Campaign” (15,000 enrolled students + 5,000 business and community supporters) will define us as a vibrant, economically sound and sustainable community in this century, and is therefore a key initiative for this Chamber. To that end, the Chamber will take the leadership position in helping the University in fostering local governmental and community support.
To be successful we will use as a roadmap the 2017 Business Plan with these goals;
Goal 1: Promote a strong local economy through efforts to develop the current and emerging workforce.
Strategies include:
- Build on existing programs including YEA!, Career Wise Apprenticeships, ACT Workforce Ready Community and Hire Me First to help students experience the world of work and put into practice concepts learned in the classroom.
- Assist employers in accessing tools like Work Keys and programs like Kick Start to hire smarter and retain good employees.
- Remove barriers to placing more students and young adults in internship positions from post-secondary institutions in the Valley, including CMU and WCC.
- Strengthen partnerships with educational venues by hosting regular listening sessions with School District 51 board and leadership and CMU/WCC leadership.
- Strive to avoid duplication of services and overlapping requests of businesses for participation in career development initiatives.
- Provide staff support for the programs of the Mesa County Business Education.
(Responsible: Workforce Committee, Staff)
Goal 2: Promote a Strong Local Economy Through a Robust Business Retention/Expansion Program
Strategies Include:
- Reaching out to area manufacturers and other primary employers through site visits to determine how to facilitate growth of existing business jobs
- Conducting industry and special interest (i.e. logistics) roundtables to determine broad issues related to specific sectors and develop a work plan to address those issues.
- Facilitating the implementation of a Foreign Trade Zone to assist local businesses to manage costs and administrative overhead associated with a global economy and importing of goods.
- Supporting other business development partners, Grand Junction Economic Partnership and Business Incubator Center, in attracting new primary employers and assisting prospective business owners to start businesses.
- Managing the CAMA Fuse Center in Grand Junction and promoting its development and utilization as a center for excellence and best practices in manufacturing on the Western Slope.
- Championing and staffing the Grand Junction Regional Air Service Alliance to work toward building capacity and extending more nonstop commercial flights from the Airport.
- Promoting success stories by all business development partners to the community in helping companies start, grow and locate leading to real job growth.
(Responsible: Staff, ED Partners, Board)
Goal 3: Advocate for a More Favorable Business Climate at the Local, State and Federal Level Through the Legislative and Regulatory Processes
Strategies Include:
- Providing input on various pieces of proposed legislation from the business perspective through a robust communication with elected leaders
- Meeting regularly with locally elected boards, including the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County to discuss issues of mutual concern
- Informing businesses and voters about candidates and ballot issues likely to be considered locally in 2017 through candidate forums, voters’ guides and other communication vehicles.
- Assisting business leaders and emerging business leaders in understanding the community and the complex issues faced in the Grand Valley through offering the Mesa County Leadership Program.
- Taking advantage of public testimony opportunities to offer a business perspective on pending regulations
- Partnering with other business organizations across the state to advocate for or against statewide issues
(Responsible: Governmental Affairs, Board of Directors, Endorsement Committee, Staff)
Goal 4: Offer Direct Benefits to Members That Will Strengthen Their Individual Businesses
- Hosting a Sunrise Seminar Series for small business owners on key management topics like employment, insurance, and marketing.
- Utilizing Mesa County Library’s Business Connect and other venues to show members the benefits of various marketing strategies to promote their businesses.
- Creating a regional health care summit to help small businesses navigate through the various options for providing health insurance and a healthier working environment.
- Offering networking sessions including (but not limited to) Networking at Noon, Business After Hours, Quarterly Membership Meetings and Leads Groups
- Providing a venue to pool the collective purchasing power of almost 1000 small businesses to access discounts on products and services they need based on member input and requests.
- Celebrating and recognizing the contributions of small businesses to the local economy through participation in programs such as Small Business Saturday and Google City.
- Reducing reliance on membership revenue to offer needed services that can grow jobs and strengthen the economy by conducting a Total Resource Campaign to tailor investments to interests.
(Diplomats, TRC Volunteers, Board, Staff)