L EADI NG P E O P L E . L E A D I N G P R O S P E R I T Y.
Advocacy Strengthening Longview by Advocating for Local Business
The Chamber of Commerce is a business organization representing the interests of more than 1100 businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, and 45,000 hard-working Texans. Our members range from mom-and-pop shops and local chambers to leading industry associations and large corporations. They all share one thing—they count on the Chamber to be their voice. The Chamber has and continues to be the driving force behind the growth in Longview. This year, 2020, brought tremendous challenges for business. As Texas and the world were placed on hold to rein in the spread of a virus, the Chamber quickly set up webinars addressing those pain points businesses were already experiencing and to consider the questions of that impact long term. In partnerships with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the SBDC, recognized legal attorneys, and agencies, your Chamber processed information and discussions, and advocated on your behalf on relief and assistance legislation. As a result,
1822 PPP loans were awarded to 271 businesses in Longview for a total of $188,476,107, and the average loan amount of $103,444 (DATA PROVIDED BY THE SBDC OF NORTH TEXAS).
WE’RE OPEN STONGVIEW! Upon the Governor’s scheduled re-opening of Texas businesses in late April and May, [ BLOG POST ] the Chamber partnered with SignPro to create and distribute “We’re Open” signs to area businesses to help stir the business community and consumers with information that we could open and operate businesses in a safe manner to protect people. A series of photographs were taken to showcase how our businesses were adjusting to the new constraints and keeping people safe, which then translated into an ad campaign. Global Graphics designed t-shirts and yard signs for “StrongView,” an initiative to visually reinforce the strength of our trade area and its people.
The Longview Chamber partnered with the U.S. Chamber to launch a national initiative on Inequality of opportunity [ READ HERE ]. Inspired by its mission to lead people and lead prosperity, the Chamber partnered in a national townhall meeting. ”The Longview Chamber, a nationally recognized 5-Star Chamber, is proud to help the U.S. Chamber of Commerce fully leverage state and national relationships by continuing this dialogue across industry sectors,” stated President and CEO, Kelly Hall, of the Longview Chamber. “It is up to us as individuals to lead conversations to gain clarity and understanding on how to break unhealthy cycles of inequality.”
The Chamber provided testimony for a virtual Washington D.C. presentation in which current issues that companies are facing were used as testimony in support of bills……
The Chamber published an Op Ed to support business Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Reform; Workforce Development, Business Liability Protection, and Local Aid (State & Local Municipalities financial support) [ READ HERE ] To educate our members on current policy issues, the Chamber provided education opportunities on the critical issues impacting business: Energy, Transportation, Economic Growth, Cyber Security, and Immigration. Since the D.C. Fly In trip was rescheduled to March 2021, a virtual meeting with policy experts from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was held to begin that process. [ VIEW HERE ]
Further working together on a regional basis for a stronger representation in Austin, Capitol Connect is becoming an annual regional event whereby our state elected officials are providing updates on legislation and committee involvement. This regional group has expanded to include Kilgore, Longview, Lindale, Tyler, and now Gladewater. This is the representation for the East Texas Coalition which next travels to Austin in March 2021.
Meanwhile, the Chamber’s Public Policy committee reviewed and vetted the 13 public policies for the Chamber in readiness for visits to D.C. and Austin.
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