Heading to 2020 with my hair on fire!

     Sometimes the hardest part of writing this column is coming-up with an appropriate title.  My original title for this one was “Heading to 2020 with a sense of urgency.”  I was sure that I could do better.  The title above indicates that I was mistaken.
     For the record, my hairline could sustain an actual fire for about five seconds. You’d have better luck lighting my eyebrows. 
     My point in all this is that I’m looking forward to 2020 with a high degree of optimism, despite the fact that I live in a country preparing to undertake a presidential election that promises to be dreadful.  It’s incredibly unfortunate that our political process at the federal level has deteriorated to the degree that the only real thing that we all have in common is that we hope it ends soon.
     Moving on, I have identified a few things that will impact the Chamber, its members and the Blair County business community during the months ahead.

• At the 2020 Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation, the Chamber will present an award that is long overdue.  The Educator of the Year Award will acknowledge the significant role that our local schools play in preparing our current and future workforce for careers that are essential to our economic growth.  We are one of the fortunate counties where our businesses and our schools recognize the value of working together and actually do it. 
• Continuing on the workforce theme, the Chamber intends to rally the troops to put together a regional effort that will address the challenges that our counties face in a tight labor market.  It’s a monumental effort that will require cooperation among chambers, economic development organizations, career and technology centers and higher education providers.  A heavy lift at a critical time.
• As the Chamber embarks on updating its Strategic Business Plan, expect to see some changes.  One that has already been approved by the Chamber Board of Directors is making the Business Hall of Fame Dinner a biennial event.  The dinner marked its 30th year this past October.  While the prestige of the event has remained at a high level, the number of nominations over the past few years has experienced a drop-off.  There is also evidence that businesspeople are beginning to limit the number of evening events they attend. Those factors are likely to spur a healthy amount of discussion.
• With advocacy becoming a top priority of the Chamber, the “Blair County Strong Futures Initiative,” created by our Public Policy Committee and approved by our Board, will be a document that will influence how we keep the business community at the table on a variety of issues that have the potential to become political battlegrounds.  The Strong Futures Initiative came about as the result of some disturbing trends that emerged during last spring’s primary election.
• If there’s one major obstacle for the Chamber to overcome that involves staffing during 2020, it is the announcement that Vice-President of Programming and Education Judy Juda will be retiring in June.  Judy has been with the Chamber for the past twenty-seven years and has been largely responsible for the growth of the Leadership Blair County program (Adult, Youth and Alumni ) and WE-LEaD as well as overseeing the planning and execution of Breakfast Club, the Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation, the Business Excellence Dinner and the Business Hall of Fame. The learning-curve for Judy’s successor will be ridiculous. 

     Clearly, 2020 will be a year of transition for the Chamber.  Member involvement in programs and events, a key ingredient in the organization’s growth, will be more important than ever.  We will also be in a recruiting mode to add more of our businesses to our membership.  The strength of our business community will require that fewer businesses sit on the sideline, hoping that others carry the load.
     On behalf of the Chamber, I wish you a happy holiday season and eagerly anticipate (with smoldering hair) a great 2020!