The ability of our community and Chamber to influence local, state and national leaders and elected officials can give rise to opportunities that would otherwise not be possible. A prime example of this would be the Good Jobs Challenge Grant award; which saw 78 major letters of support from across our region and states to get behind The Chamber and elevate the FMWF region to become one of only 32 EDA Good Jobs Challenge Grant awardees in the entire nation. Now, harnessing the power of this grant and working alongside our community partners will create lasting systems and effects to benefit several facets of our region for years to come.

Our recent trip to Washington, D.C. was a week of leveraging relationships and expertise to advance issues and topics for our community. This year we traveled with over 25 individuals including military leaders, established and innovative business owners and operators, and our regional elected officials, to have intentional meetings with Congressional delegates, federal agencies and other major leaders. This created a very dynamic and diverse group of FMWF representatives as we brought an array of perspectives, experiences and knowledge to the table. I mention this trip to D.C. because one of the greatest assets of The Chamber is our dedication to public policy. We are working to share more about this work with you more often, as it can oftentimes go unnoticed, but it has unprecedented effects on our community and region. Getting the hard work done on local, state and national levels is what will keep our big goals and initiatives moving forward, and ensure our region's health, vibrancy and vitality, and that of our businesses.

Enjoy the Jan/Feb Bridge magazine as we showcase just a few ways FMWF is working and succeeding locally, regionally and nationally. From workforce initiatives, to our stellar education entities, to an area business finding themselves in the top 0.1% nationally.
Speaking of the national stage, stay tuned to our channels as we will soon announce our 2023 Voices of Vision speaker! We won't be keeping you in suspense for too much longer; this will be another big year and another huge speaker.