Speaking for business, listening to the community

During a recent strategic planning meeting at the chamber offices, I happened to look up on the wall of the Legoland conference room and read the inscription on the wall: “Speaking for Business, Listening to the Community.” I am sure that I have read that inscription a hundred times before, but in that moment, it became much more meaningful than in previous readings. The fact that our focus during that meeting was the chamber’s “Strategic Priorities,” could account for my “fresh” understanding. As I begin this period of service to the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and larger community as the Chair of the Chamber Board of Directors, I would like to renew our commitment to speak out on behalf of the business community in Carlsbad and throughout the region. At the same time, I would like to publicly commit to increasing our community listening skills. Like so many things in our fair city, we have much to be proud of; great public and private schools, a well-managed city government that is both fiscally responsible and innovative, a beautiful, natural environment, and a strong, growing even stronger, business community. Representing this expanding business community is the No. 1 job of the Carlsbad Chamber. The leadership and staff of the chamber do a magnificent job. Indeed, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce is the second largest chamber of commerce in San Diego County, the tenth largest chamber in the State of California and the fourth largest membership association in the San Diego region. I look forward to working closely with Ted Owen, the chamber’s president and CEO, and his team during the coming year as we continue to reach out to and serve the business community. Additionally, to underline our commitment to the community at large, we have added “Community Development” as one of the over-arching elements to our 2007-2009 strategic priorities. In doing so, we recognize that a vibrant and healthy community is the most fertile soil within which to grow a vibrant and healthy business community. Conversely, a solid business community is essential if Carlsbad is to achieve its full potential. This healthy interdependence is something that I intend to keep on the front edge of the chamber’s agenda over the coming year. The chamber intends to “weigh-in” on such things as safety, education, housing, community services, arts, culture and social impact. Under the theme of corporate citizenship, we hope to instill a greater pride of citizenship through the active participation and communication in and with a variety of civic matters. Corporate citizenship really means developing mutually beneficial, interactive and trusting relationships between a business enterprise and its many stakeholders, including employees, customers, communities, suppliers and nonprofit organizations, through the implementation of the company’s thoughtful business strategies and operating practices. Being a good corporate citizen means treating all of a company’s stakeholders, and the natural environment, with dignity and respect, being aware of the company’s impacts on stakeholders and working collaboratively with them when appropriate to achieve mutually desired results. Some of you may have heard of an exciting and growing grassroots community organization in Carlsbad called “Imagine Carlsbad.” Their stated vision is to “build the future of Carlsbad together.” Several of my chamber colleagues and I have decided that this organization is worthy of our time and effort. I hope that you too might consider investing your efforts as well. This group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday evening of every month at the Senior Center on Ivy Street. Please consider joining us. To my colleagues in the business community, I encourage you to become actively involved in the activities and programs of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. We are here to serve you. To my fellow chambers members, I encourage you to identify ways to become even more active, as is true in other parts of life, you will benefit from your chamber membership proportionally to the time and energy you invest into it. Finally, I would like to pay homage to my predecessor, Tim Stripe, co-president and CEO of Grand Pacific Resorts. I am honored to count Tim as a dear friend, and my respect for him as a leader has grown as I have seen him exemplify what true corporate citizenship is all about. Thank you Tim for investing your time, talent and treasure in the leadership of the Carlsbad Chamber during these last two years. You have set the bar high and I have my work cut out for me as I step into your big shoes. Thanks again.