Shovels breaking dirt, storefronts with an ‘open’ sign, cranes soaring high and businesses announcing “we’re hiring.” It’s been a solid year for Capital Region businesses slowly emerging from the economic downturn.
We aren’t out of it yet, but we are certainly moving in the right direction and the region continues to prove itself as THE place to live, work and play.
It’s been an important year for us at Metro Chamber as well. Together as a team we’ve:
– held over 50 networking and professional growth opportunities;
– celebrated members achievements with nearly 50 ribbon cuttings;
inspired an army of nearly 700 young professionals ready to take this region to the next level via Metro EDGE;
– helped open 23 new businesses and counseled over 500 looking to build or expand their business via the Capital Region Small Business Development Center; and
– developed another class of civically engaged and socially aware leaders via Leadership Sacramento impacting a total of nearly 1,000 individuals over 30 years.
However, while numbers are important, where we’ve been most successful is in expanding our dialogue. We made it a priority this year to engage in a more thoughtful way with our members, to not only communicate to you, but to build a conversation with you.
Our members are making meaningful impacts to our region each day. We started #CelebratingMembers on our social media channels and crafted member spotlights to shine light on their contributions and unique stories.
We hit the pavement during our Business Walks speaking with over 1,000 businesses hearing directly from the source on what is working and what areas need improvement.
We expanded our dialogue outside of Sacramento proper. This year, our annual advocacy program Cap-to-Cap, saw the highest attendance in seven years. Our Study Mission set a new record with over 100 local leaders studying a city’s best practices and discussing those models we could bring back home. The conversations we started in D.C. and Chicago are continuing back here at home.
Our job is to advocate for and support our members by leading the effort to grow and retain business. We look forward to continuing the conversation and delivering for you in 2016.
Source: Comstock’s magazine