The mission of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce is to provide leadership, member services and advocacy that fosters growth and economic prosperity for our region.
We have been spending a good deal of time lately on advocacy. Our General Assembly is in session and we have a new governor. There is much activity to follow, legislation to track every day, and a slew of personnel changes to track so we can be sure to advocate effectively for our members.
We believe our members deserve someone to look out for them, to be tracking legislation that may impact their ability to do business, to address community needs or to grow their organization. Small business owners work tirelessly to operate their business. They don’t have the time, and generally do not have the resources to hire a lobbyist to watch out for them. If they are chamber members, we have their back.
We review legislation weekly to determine if any new bills introduced would impact specific sectors of our membership. And then we contact those members, discuss their opinions on the legislation and then try to impact the process in a way that is beneficial to them.
We are fortunate in Owensboro to be represented by a group who is very accessible and willing to listen. Last Saturday, they came out early to field questions from a packed room of constituents at the chamber. Next week, they will be with us at West Kentucky Night Thank You Night in Frankfort.
West Kentucky Thank You Night is a partnership with around 20 other chambers across this region. The idea is that there is strength in numbers — that supporting one another gives us far more power than just supporting our own projects. This has already been paying big dividends for all of West Kentucky with the shields up along I-69 and future shields on the Natcher Parkway.
Our overriding goal is for Greater Owensboro to have a voice…for Greater Owensboro to have influence. Our community deserves — and so do our members.
By Candance Brake President and CEO Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce