Like always, the Chamber has been very busy lately. As I look back at the past few weeks, there are several accomplishments that make me very proud of the work our Chamber does.
The 2017 Leadership Owensboro class just finished up, which is always a reason to celebrate. But this year the Chamber got a nice pat on the back for the Leadership Owensboro program when Alorica called the Chamber and asked our staff to do a similar experience for the Alorica team. So, of course, the Chamber staff got right to work, like they always do, and pulled together a two-week day leadership and community building program.
That’s not something that made headlines, but I saw it as a great success. To bring a company that size to town is huge for our community, but for our Chamber to engage them into the community that quickly was something that made me extremely proud
Just before that, the Chamber once again embarked on a Washington D.C. fly-in where we had a few nice wins. During the fly-in, we met with Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and J. Todd Inman to secure an Owensboro sign at the 231/I-64 Dale exit, and we continued to discuss a sign for the Interstate Spur. I feel those two things alone made the fly-in worth the time and effort of our trip.
In the meantime, we continued to chip away at the city budget proposal and our One-for-One initiative. Although there was still a tax increase, it was passed at 1.78 percent. When we started the process, it was a 2 percent proposed increase. We believe our efforts to make that process more transparent brought public attention to the tax increase, and any decrease was a victory.
I continue to be amazed at the work our Chamber can accomplish when we all work together.
By Wade Jenkins Chair of the Chamber Board Market President, Old National Bank