October 11, 2006

Corona Chamber of Commerce Continues Year of Action in 2007

Business leaders meet to plan continuing effort to represent the interests of Corona business with government.

In late 2005, the Corona Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted to expand benefits that the chamber provides to its members. This expansion of services is an ambitious government affairs program that effectively represents the interests of Corona businesses with government. 

“We are giving the business community what they want…a voice,” stated Bobby Spiegel, President/CEO of the Corona Chamber. “Elected officials want to know where the business community stands on issues that impact the short-term and long-term economic vitality of our region. It is the responsibility of the Corona Chamber to tell elected officials what the business community needs.  If the Corona Chamber does not represent the business community, no one else will,” continued Spiegel.

The purpose of the government affairs program is to provide a basis for the Corona Chamber to act on local, state and federal government issues and have a good working relationship with its elected officials thus creating a favorable and profitable business climate. The Chamber created a new Legislative Action Committee (LAC) to serve as the grassroots leadership to implement to the new government affairs program. The LAC is a chamber member-only committee that meets once per month to serve as an action team for educating elected officials, making decisions on important business related public policy issues, and setting goals and priorities on a yearly basis. The Chamber developed aggressive policy priorities and created the following four specific membership benefits to assist Corona businesses in the effort to protect their interests with government:

1. The Corona Chamber tracks legislation and issues at the local, state and federal level;

2. The Corona Chamber serves as a public policy resource for the business community on issues impacting their ability to do business;

3. The Corona Chamber  involves businesses in developing priorities and advancing those priorities, and;

4. The Corona Chamber uses cutting edge communication strategies to engage the business community.

The LAC took positions on over 35 potential statewide laws plus three major local issues and played a vital role in the discussions. The Chamber took a stand on local redevelopment issues, statewide minimum wage increases and efforts to rollback the workers compensation reforms of 2004. The Chamber also took a stand on each of the propositions on the November 2006 ballot.

The Chamber created www.CoronaAdvocacy.biz delivering value-added benefits by acting as a two-way communication tool for the local business community. The site informs the business community about critical local, state, and national issues that can affect businesses.

In late-September 2006, the LAC began a strategic planning process to determine the Chamber’s 2007 public policy priorities. The LAC decided that the Chamber will continue to be committed to taking action for its members, communicating the business point of view with local elected officials, and lead efforts to ensure that the business community is not over-regulated by government.

The LAC also developed its specific public policy priorities for 2007. The LAC decided that the Chamber will increase its communication with the business community to seek feedback and find ways to actively engage businesses on public policy impacting their interests. The Chamber will develop local and regional coalitions with community organizations to advance the effort to represent the interests of business with government.  Specifically, the Chamber will engage policy discussions on local issues such as: downtown redevelopment, local and regional transportation infrastructure, issues that impact the attraction and retention of businesses and annexation.

August 30, 2006
Corona Chamber Means Business…And Politics
 

By Tom Kenney

2006 Legislative Action Committee (LAC) Chair

Key, Freeman & Kenney Agency

Everyone in business, no matter the size, knows that the Corona Chamber of Commerce is there to be the public face for all members regardless of the issue.

We spend all our waking hours focused upon our members and their needs. We want to go the extra mile to help them be successful,” confirmed Bobby Spiegel, President and CEO of the Corona Chamber. One of the realities of business in today’s climate is the political arena and the impact it can have upon your businesses. The old bromide “If you snooze, you lose!” really applies to politics because political machines never shut down.

Political advocacy is one of the key services your Corona Chamber brings to you in the form of the Legislative Action Committee (LAC). Chaired by Tom Kenney, a local businessman. He and his committee of dedicated business people take on the challenge of keeping a watchful eye on all the many local, state, and federal legislative issues that could impact the Corona businesses.

“We take our positions on the LAC very seriously and work very hard to make sure our members get every break they deserve when it comes to legislation and providing a grassroots “face” for our members,” stated Kenney.

The operative word is grassroots as listed in the dictionary, “the ordinary people in a community or the ordinary members of an organization, as opposed to the leadership”. The last phrase in this common definition is the thing that leads many businesses down the passive path regarding politics and legislative affairs. Business people are leaders, by definition or they would not be where they are in the competitive business climate. What they overlook is that leadership is only one voice in a sea of unified anti-business voices.

If you have a union in your business, your employees have a built-in grassroots organization that is very organized and powerful. But then they are not the only organization any more. There are the environmental organizations, the social activism people, the conservation groups, and in the local area there are very powerful citizen groups that can out maneuver and over-power local, state, and even national political leaders. Within the comfortable confines of your business, you have ultimate control and power, but outside the building you are invisible. That’s why the Corona Chamber has a very active LAC.

Information keeps you in the loop. Better yet, attend one of the LAC meetings to see how your grassroots organization works in the political arena. It’s a winner, and can be better when every member adds to the support.