Over the last month, and really all the time, my mind meanders to the shared experiences and missions that exist within our community. The more interactions I have with leaders and businesses in this region, the more I see similarities – resiliency, earnestness, innovation, adaptiveness, principled. Those shared traits lay the groundwork for a robust network of connections.
With my calendar filling again with appointments and meetings that harken back to the busy days of packed schedules pre-pandemic, I am seeing those strong threads of collaboration that exist within the tapestry of our community come alive with proud vibrancy. Not only am I excited by these common threads showing up again, but additionally humbled by the sheer amount that I am privy to. I am inspired each time I see it in action, whether it is the sharing of time to welcome new students to our resource table at Bobcat Student Orientation, co-leading a retreat for non-profit executives, being part of the Entrepreneurial Development Group, or at the seat of one of the many boards I’m a part of.
While delivering a keynote at a recent athletic award banquet, I spoke to the athletes about their shared experiences and how that can translate into life after sports. As I wrote the speech, I reflected directly on how inspired I am by our business community and how we show up for each other – challenging each other, supporting each other, and ultimately celebrating each other. We are unique in many ways- our location, our demographics, industry make-up, workforce. I believe that uniqueness drives us to grow prosperity in innovative ways, too.
As I’ve mentioned before, the Chamber stands alongside our business community as we, too, grow in unique and innovative ways. Our most recent project ensures these connections and collaborations continue to flourish and gives us a strong foundation as we continue to lead our business community into the future. Be on the lookout for upcoming information about our new Info Hub that will give members exclusive access to real-time and up-to-date resources at their demand instead of waiting for email communications. It also features a portal to update information and pay invoices instantly.
In Community,
Dani Esperanza, President