Despite Legislative Session’s End,
Chamber Remains in High-Gear
2007 GRASSROOTS NETWORK Area Meetings
Following up a successful legislative session for North Carolina businesses, the North Carolina Chamber is already preparing for the 2008 legislative session. Our Chamber pursued an aggressive agenda this year aimed at capitalizing on opportunities to improve our state’s business climate and strengthen our competitive position. What’s next?
The North Carolina Chamber and our local Chamber Federation partners are preparing for this fall’s GRASSROOTS NETWORK Area Meetings, which will begin October 11th and continue through November 29th in each economic development region throughout the state. These important “listening sessions” allow our Chamber to hear directly from local Chambers and small businesses about their most pressing economic concerns to help shape our legislative agenda for the 2008 session of the NC General Assembly.
Click here for a comprehensive schedule and to register for the North Carolina Chamber’s GRASSROOTS NETWORK Area Meetings. (There is no charge to participate.)
Customer Input Remains Chamber’s Top Priority:
Drives Agenda
The North Carolina Chamber heard from thousands of small businesses last year at our Area Meetings and on Business Ballots distributed via broadcast fax and email. Common themes emerged from last year’s round of listening meetings in terms of the most important issues to the growth and profitability of NC businesses. Here’s what our customers told our Chamber last year:
- Healthcare costs are a major business concern.
- Taxes on business are high in NC, or higher than in many other states.
- Workers comp costs are troublesome.
- The regulatory environment in North Carolina across many areas of state government is more onerous than it should be or needs to be.
This direct input from last year’s Area Meetings helped shape our Chamber’s 2007 Competitiveness Agenda and led to $311 million in savings for business during this year’s legislative session. Our Chamber’s lobbyists were able to take data collected from last year’s meetings, our first annual CEO poll and other means to the legislature to not only highlight ways to improve our state’s business climate, but also present solutions to competitive challenges surfaced by our members. The data that our customers gave us provided policymakers a framework for making decisions that made our state a better place to live, work and do business.
As North Carolina’s leading, non-partisan business advocacy organization, our Chamber will continue to listen to our members regarding the costs of doing business in our state as we execute strategies to fulfill our mission: to make sure that North Carolina is and remains the best state in America to do business and the most competitive for jobs. A member-driven approach is critical to our effectiveness and success.
Let North Carolina’s Leading Business
Advocacy Organization Hear from You
Our Chamber is aggressively seeking input from businesses of all sizes, particularly small businesses, as we cross the state on our annual listening tour. Participants in our Chamber’s GRASSROOTS NETWORK Area Meetings will hear from North Carolina Chamber leaders and local Chamber executives. Even more important, a question-and-answer session intended to foster an ongoing dialogue will provide data from customers to help shape the debate for business in the state capital next year. Business ballots will be distributed during the meetings to collect data from participants about what issues are most important to their ability to compete nationally and globally, and what actions our Chamber and lawmakers can take to enhance their ability to grow and create jobs.
Don’t miss your opportunity to shape the North Carolina Chamber’s 2008 Competitiveness Agenda and learn about opportunities to participate in our powerful grassroots advocacy partnership – our Chamber Federation.
Meeting are scheduled in the following areas: Fayetteville (Oct.11), Wilmington (Oct.11), Mooresville (Oct.16), Boone (Oct.17), Hickory (Oct.17), Charlotte (Oct.23), Gastonia (Oct.24), Concord (Oct.24), Greensboro (Oct.29), Greenville (Nov.8), RTP (Nov.8), and Asheville (Nov.29).
Click here for a comprehensive schedule and to register for the North Carolina Chamber’s GRASSROOTS NETWORK Area Meetings. (There is no charge to participate.)
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