Innovation – Growth – Culture – Vision – Future.

Words like those are often at the front of our minds as we all strive daily to take our businesses, organizations, schools and communities to the next level. To be the best we can be. But when you stop to think about it, what makes all of that possible and brings our mission statements to life to drive us forward?

Our people.

As you read the following stories, I hope that it demonstrates how unbelievably valuable opportunities or moments of development and inspiration can be. One book, one meeting, one program or one experience outside of a comfort zone has the potential to positively alter someone’s outlook, career, life and community they are a part of. Our members continue to amaze me with the effort they put into developing and inspiring their employees and the people they serve. As leaders, we must continue to be intentional about creating and supporting professional development opportunities, and emphasize our commitment to influencing the people around us.

Your Chamber is committed to engaging and inspiring the people, businesses and community that we serve. If you come across a program, initiative or opportunity that you or someone in your circle should get involved in, we encourage you to take that next step to get involved. Let’s reach our full potential together.

I also want to call out a few topics related to The Chamber’s public policy efforts and priorities, as we are in the middle of legislative sessions in both Minnesota and North Dakota. We had a strong and notable FMWF presence for our Chamber Capitol Day trips in each state; we were proud to testify, advocate for, and ultimately see ND HB 1199 pass for career academy funding in North Dakota; and we strongly and loudly opposed MN Senate/House File 2. Even if you’re not usually interested in public policy, I’d recommend flipping to those few pages for the full stories and to see the tangible impacts of state legislation, but even more importantly, the impact we can make when we stand together with a unified voice to promote and protect our region.