Together . . . We Make a Difference!
Now, more than ever, local business and industry need to band together
November 30, 2008
By: Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Together, we can make a difference.
Now, more than ever, it is essential for local business and industry to band together through your Bay Area Chamber of Commerce to help improve our local economy.
As an example, your Bay Area Chamber working with Bay Future, Inc. and city and county leaders and our local state legislators organized a special task force to work with General Motors Corporation to maintain its facilities in Bay City and promote new production work here. As a partial result of these efforts, the City Commission improved Woodside Avenue and made a 50 year commitment to not charge new personal property taxes for future developments at the Bay City G.M. Powertrain plant. General Motors then announced plans to produce parts for the proposed new electric Volt engine in Bay City.
Most recently your Chamber actively supported Mayor Charles Brunner's trip to Washington, D.C. to urge U.S. Senators and Representatives to provide low interest loans for General Motors to assure they will weather the existing economic storm. In fact, your Chamber provided the cost for Mayor Brunner's air fare for that important trip.
Your Bay Area Chamber of Commerce also organized a strong effort made up of local labor leaders, Senator Jim Barcia, Representative Jeff Mayes, Mayor Charles Brunner, County Executive Tom Hickner, Hampton Township Supervisor Terry Spegel, Bay Future's President Fred Hollister Chamber Chairman Stu Reid and others to support the development of the $2.3 billion new clean coal electric generating plant at Karn/Weadock. This will bring more than a thousand new jobs to the Bay Area during the construction phase alone.
Carbone of America, is a leading high tech company in Bay City. Thanks to City Commission decisions that were actively supported by your Bay Area Chamber, Carbone of America has begun a new expansion at its plant here.
Through the Bay Area Chamber, a $10,000 match grant, including $5,000 from the Kantzler Foundation, was made earlier this year to plan for a hotel/water park and other development at the Uptown at Rivers Edge site located along Bay City's water front. The Chamber also assisted Paul Rowley and other local leaders in the formation of the new Rivers Edge public private partnership charged with developing this important parcel.
These are just a few of the efforts of your Bay Area Chamber and our partners to help bring new jobs and income to the people of the Bay Area. We are striving to make the Bay Area a leader in the economic renewal of our state, one major step at a time.
Together, we can make a difference.