March 2008 Chairman's Message
by Jim Firmin, Chairman, Chamber Board of DirectorsWhat an EXCITING time to be a Chamber member!
I hope that you were able to participate in one of the many outstanding events sponsored recently by your Chamber of Commerce. Your Chamber staff has been very busy with assisting and promoting numerous events and they deserve a special "THANKS" for their dedication.
Another thank-you to the 100 Club for sponsoring Dr. Bill Daggett’s presentation. His ideas represent an outstanding, common sense approach to improving our education system. Enhancing our education system is imperative; after all, these are our future leaders who will be competing in a global market! One of the many things I learned was that initiating such changes should begin in the business community. This can be accomplished by business leaders getting involved and discussing such opportunities with local legislators! The Chamber is committed to workforce development and we will aggressively promote and support necessary changes within our education system. It is important that our educational system be unified with the needs of today’s changing workforce.
In addition to Dr. Daggett’s visit, Business after Hours at Mass Mutual in Laurens was successful and well attended. We look forward to many more such events in 2008 and I encourage you to participate.
"Women in Business" is another new Chamber venture. It began with only 5 persons and has evolved to more than 80 participants at their recent meeting. This is yet another opportunity to get involved, meet others, and network within Laurens County… well done ladies!
If you have not visited the Chamber office recently, I encourage you to stop by and see the recent upgrades done to the inside of the building. We are appreciative to Shaw Flooring (formerly Anderson Hardwood Flooring) for the donation of the floors throughout most of the building. Also, a special thanks to Rob for getting all the work done.
Another new term you will hear more about within the upstate is "Regionalism." Regionalism focuses on promoting specific geographic areas of the state. Even though our goal is to have 100% of ALL businesses and industries to locate in Laurens County, there are many benefits from successful economic development throughout the upstate. As an example, BMW (our 500th Chamber Member) employs approximately 10% of its current workforce from Laurens County! This illustrates the positive impact of regionalism.
I am also pleased with the adoption of the simplified 2008 mission statement recently approved by the Board of Directors. It states: "Serve as the unified voice to promote, strengthen, and develop the business community of Laurens County by enhancing quality of life, workforce development, tourism, and marketing initiatives."
Many great things are happening at your Chamber of Commerce and I invite you to participate by being an ACTIVE member!
If we may be of assistance, please do not hesitate to call anytime.
Perhaps most importantly… THANKS for being a member of such an important organization!
Jim Firmin
2008 Chairman
Laurens County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
