MESSAGE FROM THE
O
ver the last month, it feels like things are returning to normal. You can see it in your morning commute – yes, there’s more traffic – but you see children lining up to enter school, new businesses opening, and a feeling like finally we’re putting the pandemic behind us. Vigilance is still important, though. As we await the full opening of the economy in Nick Ortiz approximately a month and a half, we’re encouraging everyone one to continue wearing masks, distancing and taking advantage of local vaccination sites. At the Chamber, we’re continuing our mission to build a better Bakersfield and advocate for a prosperous business environment. Our team of staff and volunteers have been incredibly busy this last month on a range of programs and initiatives. First, we were able to hold a drive-thru graduation for our 2020 Leadership Bakersfield class. This Leadership Bakersfield group faced a number of challenges from virtual class days, to pivoting their team projects. I’m so grateful that the class members stuck through it, and I appreciate the great work of our LB Advisory Council for their creativity and ingenuity. In April, we also held a series of workshops with a nationally renowned speaker, Ajit Dodani with Empathify U, for our Bakersfield Young Professionals group. This series focused on incorporating empathy into your work and life. We’ve had an outstanding response on this four-workshop series. Ajit’s insights really have embodied the optimism that I know we’re all feeling about the prospects for recovery and return to normalcy.
Also this month, the Better Bakersfield and Boundless Kern initiative or B3K Prosperity, met a huge milestone – the release of the regional market assessment. B3K is a community-wide collaboration to build a stronger and more inclusive local economy, and the Chamber serves as one of the organizations stewarding the effort. More information about why our region needs inclusive economic growth is available on pages 6-7. More information on B3K Prosperity is available at www.b3kprosperity.org. We’re also planning for the rest of the year, and will have exciting announcements about our signature programs – State of the City and the Beautiful Bakersfield Awards – very soon. While the region is feeling optimistic about bouncing back from the coronavirus, other news has put a damper on things. Last week the state announced an intention to phase out the use of fracking (a common and safe oilfield technique) and doubled down on the goal of ending the production of petroleum and the use of petroleum-based transportation fuels. This represents an attack on our region, and will very well stunt the magnitude of economic growth our area (and potentially the entire state) could see from a national economic recovery. That’s why we are doing everything possible to support our local energy industry, through advocacy and education. Oil and agriculture aren’t just industry sectors, they are part of our region’s culture, and we have an obligation to support them and the thousands of workers and businesses that serve them. I continue to be an optimist, not only about the prospects for recovery, but also our region’s future. Though we have challenges, we also have significant opportunities ahead of us. - Nick Ortiz President & CEO Greater Bakersfield Chamber
follow us on
Social Media
@BakoChamber
For more information, visit www.bakochamber.com METRO | PAGE 4
