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Chair's Column
Opportunities for education, networking available through Chamber membership
By Dave Rozenboom
2009-10 Chair of the Board
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Dave Rozenboom
2009-10 Chair of the Board |
At the Chamber’s annual planning retreat last August, your Board of Directors established five priority areas to guide our efforts during the coming year: Member Services, Economic Expansion, Community Development & Quality of Life, Educational Investment, and Leadership Development.
Understanding the role that strong community leadership has played in our past success, and recognizing the critical need for it as we look toward the future, the Board decided to establish Leadership Development as a separate and distinct priority this year. Our goal under this priority is to provide leadership for our members on community issues and also develop programs that educate and involve the next generation of community leaders.
One of the key initiatives of our Leadership Development efforts is the Chamber’s Young Professionals Network (YPN). The first YPN event was held just one year ago and the group has already grown to over 500 members. If the first year success is any indication, the future of Sioux Falls and our surrounding area is in great hands! I invite you to read the feature articles in this issue of the Chamber News to learn more about YPN and this vibrant and dynamic group of future leaders.
As the leading Sioux Falls area business advocate, your Chamber is actively involved in lobbying for our legislative platform in Pierre. In this issue, we have published our annual “How They Voted” report, which is designed to facilitate an on-going dialogue on business concerns between voters and their elected officials. Please take a moment to review these results so you can be informed about how area legislators responded to issues that were strongly advocated by the Sioux Falls business community during this legislative session.
I invite you to attend the upcoming “Good Morning Sioux Falls” breakfast meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 20 from 7-8:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn City Centre. The featured topics include a report from the City on the upcoming street construction projects and an in-depth interview with the newly elected Mayor or a conversation with the two run-off candidates for Mayor, whatever the case may be. While we always get a great turnout for this event, there is always room for more, so please join us!
Speaking of the election, I encourage you to exercise your right to vote on April 13. It is such an important time for the future of our community. We all have the responsibility to do our part to be informed and cast your vote for the candidates for each office that you believe are best suited to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The Chamber does not take positions on candidates for office but you can read more about the people running for Mayor, City Council and Sioux Falls School Board online at www.ChamberNews.com. The board of directors does take positions on issues, however, and you can read their stance on the proposed charter amendments, which will also appear on the April 13 ballot, in both the print edition and online version of Chamber News.
In closing, we are fond of saying, progress is everyone’s business. I want to again thank you for your continued investment and involvement in the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. We sincerely appreciate it. I also welcome each of the new members who joined during our recently-held Spring Membership Drive — we are proud to count you in our network.
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