The Chamber Foundation

The Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce plays a big role in building Flagstaff’s next generation of leaders through its Flagstaff Young Professionals (FYP) initiative. Flagstaff Young Professionals, a division of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, is in its sixth year of connecting young adult between the ages of 21 and 39.

Since its inception many years ago, the group has grown to a community of more than 100 members and hosts a myriad of events focused on community service, professional development and connecting with each other as well as with other professionals they might not know otherwise.

According to FYP Board Chair Emily Giralt, the goal is to help young people find sustainable employment and their true footing in building community together. It’s the Chamber’s resource for young professionals to make meaningful connections and ultimately become more informed and connecting community leaders.

“The biggest thing about our organization is making those connections,” Giralt said. “It’s really difficult to be a young professional, especially in Flagstaff. Jobs are fought for and there’s a lot of really experienced and highly-educated people who come out to apply for positions and so not having a lot of experience even though you are ambitious makes for a very competitive environment. It’s not what you know, but who you knowand that really holds true in our small town.”

That’s where FYP comes in. The organization helps prepare visionary young adults who are working in diverse industries to play a role and be engaged in shaping the way for Flagstaff’s future success and growth. Sometimes, something as simple as a nudge, meeting the right person or just talking about individual experiences can create change.

FYP holds an Leadership Mentoring Summit each year as the signature event. Members hear from and can question local professionals who are well established in this community in a roundtable-style conversation.

Strong chambers have strong foundations

The Flagstaff Chamber Foundation was created more than 10 years ago to provide a tax deductible vehicle for private and corporate donations as a 501©(3) charitable non-profit organization.

The Foundation operates educational programs and scholarships, especially programs for labor force development and low cost programs for emerging businesses; the promotion of economic development in and around Flagstaff thus relieving similar burdens upon government; promotion of the arts; and other programs that increase employment, payroll, business volume and the overall quality of life with Flagstaff and our surroundings.

Randon Cupp, Foundation Treasurer and Chamber Board Member, described the Foundation as one of the Chamber’s best tools to create change.

“The Greater Flagstaff Chamber itself fulfills the day-to-day needs of our member business investors region wide”, Cupp said. “This includes business resources of many types for all sectors, business advocacy, small business promotion and connecting businesses to each other through convening meetings and events on a wide array of issues and topics. Our Foundation is dedicated to transformational change and to support specific economic development and educational/labor force needs relating to the business community and their owners.”

It’s common for strong Chambers to operate a Foundation and Julie Pastrick President and CEO of the Chamber said their Foundation provides an ability to secure grants and tax deductible donations for work that would otherwise go unfunded. Businesses need all sorts of assistance to rebound into a stronger economy.

“Strong Chambers have thriving Foundations,” Pastrick said. “Our Foundation work is centered on boosting economic development and community vibrancy, and therefore healthcare, affordable housing, education and business retention/ expansion are at the forefront of discussions and action by its Board”.

Through the years there has been major impact on local youth through Foundation grant funding. In collaboration with the Helios Education Foundation, STEM summer learning experiences have been held for the past seven years enriching the basic business skills that employers look for such as teamwork, critical thinking, and digital experience. Coding, 3D printing and building their own websites have been popular concepts with parents and students alike.

In addition, scholarships have been awarded to five Coconino Community College students who are first generation and first year college students with hopes of helping them gain the educational footing they need to better their futures. Five students have received $1500 each and communication with them is ongoing.

As a result of Flagstaff’s housing shortage for workers such as nurses, teachers and firefighters, but don’t rule out middle level managers either, the Foundation is now strategizing a private sector relief plan that could help employers keep existing staff and recruit those that they need. Many businesses across the board are operating at about a 25% reduction of staff which presents many hurdles fulfilling their success plans. Nonetheless, we know that Flagstaff’s scenario is also felt nationally with 2.9% of the labor force leaving by August, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an effort to combat some of the reasoning behind labor force shortages, the Foundation launched a website titled Hiring Flagstaff and an Internship site which matches local job seekers with local companies as well as local youth with companies they’d like to have a workplace learning experience in. This is a community based place for your company or your student to find business information and employment.

Any individual, business or corporation can make a donation to the Greater Flagstaff Chamber Foundation to create positive change in our community with a tax-deductible advantage due to the charitable status with the Arizona Corporation Commission.