President’s Message

LEADING PEOPLE. LEADING PROSPERITY. E D U C A T I President’s Message

O N

| A D V O C A C Y | C O L L A B O R There is no doubt, the last few months has been a time of true testing. The challenges we face today are not unlike others our nation has confronted in the past. In 1918, a deadly pandemic. In the 1930s, a crippling depression and massive unemployment. In the 1960s, widespread civil unrest. What’s different about this moment is that Our lawmakers must not overreach, overregulate, and do more harm. They must make smart choices that enable businesses to hire people and drive growth and opportunity. We must prioritize the policies that will help those who have been displaced or disproportionately hurt by the pandemic. Many of these people were already at risk because of workforce or technology disruptions underway before the pandemic. LEADERSHIP in East Texas. they are happening all at once. Finally, we must lead! Shutdowns in commerce continue to contribute The first, of course, is continued leadership through the pandemic. While the economy is slowly rebounding there are still many challenges ahead. Businesses are still considering if should they apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and/or the Main Street Lending Program. Our team continues to press in, in order to stay abreast of the biggest and fastest federal relief package in U.S. history, and disseminate information to YOU our members. We have and will continue to mobilize our networks and resources to help small businesses survive! We will continue to help our members navigate this environment, champion and support the businesses that are leading the recovery, and push our lawmakers to respond swiftly and smartly. And we’re going to keep it up until we get through to the other side—and we will.

LEADERSHIP in Politics.

The second area is leadership in politics. Unfortunately, our country remains a nation politically divided. Initially, the pandemic transcended politics—just long enough to deliver badly needed aid with a real sense of urgency. That moment, unfortunately, has passed. The partisan battle lines have already been drawn over the next aid package. Our role is to advocate for what is best for YOU, our investors, our community. We will push our elected officials to look beyond partisan lines and do the right thing!

LEADERSHIP in the Economic Recovery.

The third priority is to help lead the economic recovery. In a recent survey compiled by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they asked investors how long the recovery would take...most people said either 12–18 months, or 18–24 months. This input tracks with what our business community is sharing with us as well. We need to remain mindful of the impact of the financial crisis of 2008. Our region’s economic challenges took its greatest hit a few years later. We did rebound and our recovery remained bullish until COVID-19. What we must remember, in times of crisis, is there will be an urge to legislate and regulate in the aftermath of the pandemic—there always is after a crisis. You can make some educated guesses about what the targets might be—supply chains, employment policies, insurance regulations, and health care regulations. to a regional contraction that makes our economy fragile. While we have The extraordinarily complex set of challenges we are facing requires each of experienced a rocky economy in the past, it has been some time since our us to step up with renewed purpose and vigor. region has faced state, national, and international challenges combined. We must continue to press in and take the Long VIEW! How we choose to LEADERSHIP in the Pandemic. work together and do the right things for the right reasons will define who we

are for years to come. Yes, these are difficult times, and we don’t have all the answers. But we do have a proud history of stepping up when our businesses need us most. The Chamber exists to lead in moments like this. We give the business community a unified voice. We rise above politics and lead with principles.

The Longview Chamber WILL champion the private sector innovation that solves problems and improves lives. We WILL demonstrate the collective power of business to create opportunity, lift our region, and spread hope. Your Chamber exists to not only serve our members but also to serve our community, region, state and country—and that charge has never been

more important than it is today.

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Kelly Hall

President/CEO