The Chamber of the Future IS NOW

Winter 2020-21
In early 2020, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce board of directors approved an ambitious strategic plan. It is meant to be a guiding document, especially so during, as one economist who presented to the chamber indicated, “(one) of the most uncertain times in recent history.”  We knew that being innovative and leveraging technology to provide value to members would be vital to create the chamber of the future. Who knew that the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis would cause us to accelerate the implementation of the plan as we pivoted to virtual? The future is now.

I am proud of how our members and the chamber team have come together to connect members during this time. In 2020 the (virtual) chamber re-started the Morris Members Council and Municipal Forum. In addition, we rolled out a series of new ways to communicate with our members, including a redesigned website, new newsletters and reinvigorated social media, as well as marketing opportunities for members. New committees launched include the:
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• Hispanic Affairs Council
• Business Strategy and Tactics Forum
• Executive Councils for Chief Human Resources and Chief Communication Officers
• Real Estate Forum
• Morris Mastermind
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Additionally, we recognized the benefits and importance of diversity and inclusion to businesses and hosted a Workplace Diversity Summit at the same time we announced the Hispanic Affairs Council, which aims to bring together Hispanic members of the chamber and also provides the broader membership with cultural insights that will help them communicate with Hispanic employees and customers more effectively.

As we enter the centennial year of the Morris Chamber, the power of partnerships and collaboration is apparent now more than ever. We see this in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, where the pharmaceutical industry has come together like never before. In this issue, you will read in “Racing Toward a Vaccine” about how the Morris Chamber partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on an event highlighting the innovation taking place right here in the Morris County region that will positively impact people around the globe. At the chamber this past fall, we joined with the Morris, Sussex, Warren Workforce Development Board to host a virtual job fair and also an information session on virtual internships.

In January 2021 we will kick off the year hosting a tri-county chamber networking event with the Somerset Business Partnership and Hunterdon County Chamber. As part of the New Jersey Business Coalition with the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and New Jersey State Chamber, the Morris Chamber ensures that the voices of our members are heard in Trenton. In this issue we welcome new columnists Michael Stanzilis, vice president of membership and government affairs, who writes about how constituents can make their voices heard and will focus on legislative issues more in-depth in future issues.

Finally, we bid farewell to chamber board chair Trish O’Keefe, present of Morristown Medical Center. Trish served as chair of the chamber board for the past two years and I am deeply grateful for her guidance and encouragement during that time. Her leadership of the medical center, attracting top talent from around the country, and her steering of the hospital through the COVID crisis is extraordinary. We are fortunate to have the excellent care here in Morris County.
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At the Morris Chamber we continually challenge ourselves to make the chamber experience even better and commit to working collaboratively to create the future that we want to see – that of a thriving business community. It is difficult to match the energy of an in-person event and I look forward to a time when we can bring everyone back together face to face. I thank you for your enthusiasm, contributions and new ideas that make the Morris Chamber such a vibrant business association. I wish you and yours a joyous and safe holiday season and I look forward to seeing you in the new year at the virtual Annual Meeting in January!

Read Business Edge Winter 2020 Edition