About the Terre Haute ChamberTerre Haute Chamber of Commerce has been and always will be, committed to creating a community that is a great place to live, work and do business.. Our focu
Trang 12017-2018 ADVOCACY PRIORITIES
Trang 3About the Terre Haute Chamber
Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce has been and always will
be, committed to creating a community that is a great place to live, work and do business Our mission of “Building Business Building Community” drives us to execute programs, services and solutions for the community members of the Terre Haute, Indiana area
Our focus areas contribute to the growth of our business
community, attracting and retaining a talented workforce and overall helping Terre Haute to continue to be a wonderful place
to live, work and build a business
FOCUS AREAS
• Quality of Place
• Education and Workforce
• Economic and Community Development
We have provided additional priorities and details on our focus areas in this booklet For more information on our advocacy efforts, please contact us directly
Marla Flowers
2017 Chair of the Board
Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce
630 Wabash Ave Suite 105
Terre Haute, IN 47807
812-232-2391
David Haynes
President
Trang 4Federal Priorities
• Tax Reform
• Prison Development
• Drug Abuse
• Quality of Place
State Priorities
• Transportation Funding
• Casino Tax Revenue
• Regional Funding
Local Priorities
• Quality of Place
• Defense Development
• Regional Development
Trang 5Quality of Place
Building Business Building Community
The Terre Haute Chamber focuses on key issues which create opportunities to enhance quality of place for the region It aligns with the Chamber’s mission of “Building Business Building Commu-nity.” To be competitive in the business environment, the community must provide key quality of place resources to claim a sustainable and growing economic infrastructure These focus areas are partnerships with businesses, non-profits, and local and state government agencies
River Development
The Chamber serves as a partner organization in an effort to enhance business development and recreational activities along the Wabash River As the region’s largest natural resource, we’re encouraged by the river’s positive impact on Indiana’s economy, and in turn, our ability to attract unique businesses and intramural activities for the area
Parks and Recreation
The region is home to many award-winning and nationally-recognized parks, which include breath-taking waterways and scenic landscapes The natural resources managed by the city and county parks and recreation departments are important partners to address the desires of family gather-ings, extracurricular activities, and health and wellness programs, to name a few
Trails and Greenways
Progressive communities are addressing pathways conducive for walking and biking for basic transportation and recreational purposes Our region is already addressing this trend, and in many cases, leads the state in this endeavor The business community recognizes safe transportation is vital to quality of place and workforce development efforts We’re committed to helping the area’s parks and recreation leaders extend their message to state and national leaders to address the growing trend and compete for new funding opportunities
Downtown Development
In 2017 the Chamber embraced the Downtown Terre Haute mission under its operational umbrella After hiring a part-time director committed to creating new energy in the downtown area, signifi-cant efforts are in place to advance activity and growth in the heart of Terre Haute Areas of inter-est include:
• Funding for beautification
• Retail development
• Collaboration and special events
Arts and Entertainment
The arts community is a vital resource to quality of place The business community relies on the arts community to enhance the culture of place and provide unique resources to all demographics Advocating to support and embrace the arts and entertainment organizations is crucial in creating
a culturally-driven and competitive community Areas of interest include:
• Formation of Arts Commission
• Creative place making
Trang 6Education and Workforce
Workforce Development
The region has an array of industries from manufacturing to healthcare The industry sectors rely
on a talented pipeline to meet workforce demands and create new synergies for growth and de-velopment The topic of workforce is key to staying competitive with other like regions across the state of Indiana and across the nation By partnering with the Department of Workforce Develop-ment (Region 7), the area’s higher education institutions, and the school corporation, the Chamber hopes to align strategic partnerships that meet the trending requirements of current and future employers
Building a Healthier Community - Better Health Wabash Valley
The Chamber, in partnership with regional healthcare partners, initiated a focused wellness pro-gram The plan was developed from data found in the Community Health Needs Assessment, including metrics regarding cardiovascular health, obesity, and diabetes, to name a few The
Chamber recognizes the importance to support businesses/organizations who strive for a healthier workforce and the overall savings to the bottom-line Healthcare costs are a big factor in site se-lection and economic development and the Chamber strives to be a partner in helping bring down the rising costs in the industry
Higher Education
Support initiatives which enhance student development and experience at all five higher education institutions – Harrison College, Indiana State University, Ivy Tech Community College, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Early Childhood Education
Support state initiatives for a statewide pre-kindergarten program for all Hoosier four-year olds
Drug Abuse
Support the Governor’s drug task force and opioid initiatives and align programs strategically that help advance the state’s efforts to curb addiction in the region
Trang 7Economic and Community Development
Regionalism
To nurture more collaboration regionally, we’re an advocate for aligning economic development agendas and serving as a collective voice for business growth and enhancing quality of place to-gether
• Although this will be a collaborative process of identifying strategies and opportunities, the Chamber sees this is as a priority to align strategically with the state of Indiana (funding op-portunities, sharing resources/talent, developing new capital projects)
Transportation
As the state identifies strategies to upgrade and develop infrastructure for roadways and bridges,
we will identify priorities for the region that advance our economy and create safer transportation Special consideration for upgrading I70 is a priority, and we will align advocacy efforts accordingly
to advance the changes necessary In addition, support for long-term transportation funding at the federal level will play an important role for upgrading overall infrastructure
Gaming Tax Revenue
Support gaming legislation that would open new opportunities for gaming revenue in our region
Defense Development
Serve as the advocacy group for the defense industry in West Central Indiana by enhancing aware-ness and building industry relationships
Federal Prison Development
As the federal government looks for new prison development, Terre Haute stands shovel ready for new growth
Tax Reform
Monitor the federal tax code and support legislation to lower the corporate tax rate
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Continue to build upon both the local and statewide network of developing innovation and entre-preneurship opportunities and hubs
Trang 8630 WABASH AVE SUITE 105 TERRE HAUTE, IN 47807 | (812) 232-2391
terrehautechamber.com
Cover courthouse photo by Ted Shideler- Indiana Courthouses Project /indianacourthouses.wordpress.com