TEMPE CHAMBER
Advantage Chamber’s Leadership Strengthens Community By Mary Ann Miller, President/CEO, Tempe Chamber of Commerce I was giving a short tour to a colleague from California a while ago. We drove down Rio Salado Parkway and Apache Boulevard, went past Tempe Marketplace, ASU and the Biodesign Institute, stopped at Tempe Town Lake and strolled down Mill Avenue. I told him about projects under way and described those planned. At the end of an hour he turned to me and said, “Wow! You really like your community!” Not only do I like it, I’m proud of the impact the Tempe Chamber has had on the community over the years. It’s our job to create a strong local economy, represent the needs of businesses before government, promote Mary Ann Miller, President/CEO, the community and Tempe Chamber of Commerce provide networking opportunities. We’ve been at the forefront of many issues and have worked hand-in-hand with our partners at the City, the Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Downtown Tempe Community to position Tempe as a leader in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Among our many accomplishments: • Tempe Leadership was started in 1984. More than 400 graduates have gone on to lead businesses, serve on nonprofit boards and city commissions and be elected to public office. • The Chamber was a forerunner in the state by dedicating a committee in the early ’90s
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Te m p e C h a m b e r. o r g
Jan. – Mar. 2O11 • tempechamber.org
Staying Ahead of the Curve: Forging policies so you can mind your business
By Mary Ann Miller, President/CEO, Tempe Chamber of Commerce
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ocation, location, location. Just like buying a house, deciding where to have your business is a major consideration. You look for obvious factors like visibility and a good customer base, adequate transportation and a qualified work force. You personally want a good quality of life, with safe neighborhoods, excellent schools and cultural activities. And when you open your doors to your business, you want to concentrate on making it a success. You need someone to look out for your interests, and that’s where the Chamber comes in. Eighty-six percent of Tempe Chamber members are businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Few have the time and staff to track what government is doing that may affect the future of their business. They discover regulatory challenges only when presented with them. Key to our mission is representing businesses before government, creating the environment where you want to work and live. “The Tempe Chamber keeps me up to date on issues affecting my business locally, regionally and nationally,” says Steve Bauer, Development Partner in The Kinetic Companies and Chairman of the Tempe Chamber Board of Directors. “As a small business owner, I don’t have the time or staff to track or testify on legislation. The Chamber’s proven influence in business advocacy allows me to concentrate on growing my firm.” Our advocacy cycle actually begins over the summer. Our Government Relations Committee surveys businesses, brings in guest speakers and researches issues of concern to the greater business community. We seek out solutions to ease business operations and listen for movements to lay burdens on business. We look at what’s working well;
what needs to be fixed; and what needs to be communicated. From this information, the committee develops recommendations for the Chamber’s Local, State and Federal Agendas. These recommendations are then discussed by our Board of Directors, who set the policy for the Chamber. Topics ranging from education to transportation to the economy create the guidebook for our advocacy efforts. Armed with our Legislative Agenda, Tempe Chamber staff can analyze bills to see if they fall under its tenets and advocate accordingly. We partner with other organizations both to make our voice stronger and to forge workable compromises. And we spend a lot of time explaining to elected officials how well-meaning legislation can negatively impact businesses. Each year, more than 1,000 bills, resolutions and memorials are taken up by the State Legislature. The City Council looks at dozens of issues each month. Congress folds a myriad of issues into a single bill. With new elected officials and budget challenges at all government levels, the decisions made in the next year will have a huge impact on the way you do business and your quality of life in the future. The Tempe Chamber of Commerce urges government to strive to further streamline processes, implement policies that allow business to flourish and provide maximum service with minimal costs to the taxpayer. We will work to foster a climate of growth, development and high wages. And we are committed to helping communicate policies and programs to businesses, so that they can make appropriate management decisions and take advantage of every opportunity available to them. We watch out for your interests so that you can work on your business.
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