 Howard
County is thriving…what a great place to
live and work! As your Board of
Directors, we represent a wide array of
geographically diverse, large and small
businesses. Our goal is to support the
Chamber’s mission “to facilitate the
success of business in Howard County
through advocacy, communication and
education.”
Advocacy:
Your chamber is the voice of business in
Howard County. Our strong Legislative
Committee, supported by our capable
staff, acts as a resource to local and
state government officials on issues
that matter most to business. Issues
most closely scrutinized include budget
and taxes, economic development and
positive business climate (BRAC,
regulatory climate, redevelopment…),
education and workforce development,
environment (green legislation…), health
care and transportation.
We annually develop
a White Paper on key issues which
outlines where business stands so that
our local and state representatives are
aware of what is important to business.
We also give our members access to
their elected officials by sponsoring
events that give them an opportunity to
ask questions and get answers directly.
Communication:
The Chamber realizes the importance
of keeping our members up to date on all
that is going on in Howard County.
Communications come in many formats to
assure that all members are reached.
Electronic eblasts, Advocacy Alerts,
Quarterly newsletters and an exciting
Website,
www.howardchamber.com fulfill the
need for the written word.
Networking is one of the most in
demand forms of communications. Members
love to get together to learn and to
share ideas that help them do their
business better. The Howard County
Chamber has a reputation for offering
truly memorable events that hundreds of
our members take part in on a monthly
basis. From monthly Business after
Business mixers at member businesses to
gala events featuring headline
performers and max capacity
crowds…nobody does it better.
Education:
Education initiatives focus on two key
areas:
Workforce Readiness focuses on
workforce preparedness for students in
our local schools. The Chamber’s role
is to give a business perspective to
career education in our schools. One of
our key initiatives is Passport to the
Future where students who are planning
on entering the workforce directly after
school gain the skills they need to
garner a worthwhile position. In just
few short years Passport has grown from
a graduating class of 30 students to
over 150 students…resume in hand.
Workforce Development places its
focus on keeping our current workforce
prepared to meet the challenges of today
and the future. Seminars on latest
trends, conferences on issues like BRAC and
Technology, job fairs to match employers
with talented employees, and a highly
successful online job posting site
www.howardjobsonline.com are all
Chamber initiatives that assist our
members in doing what they do best.
Membership has its
privileges, too…there is certainly
strength in numbers. Just ask any of
our members participating in our popular
Energy Co-Op about the positive effect
of group buying power on their bottom
lines.
We are proud to
represent you, our membership. Please
let us know if there are other ways we
can serve you better. We are at your
service.
The Howard
County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
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