Taking a leadership role

Hamilton chamber teams up with other chambers

Last month, we held a strategic planning retreat for board members and senior staff. It was a chance to share ideas and establish long-term priorities for the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

The word “collaboration” arose time and again, particularly in the context of how we might work smarter and do more for members and the wider community.

For example, we explored the question: How can our chamber play a leadership role in driving partnerships that enable businesses to flourish as contributors to a growing economic region?

It’s a significant question when we consider the benefits that come from participation in a large and dynamic market that extends across southern Ontario through to several U.S. border states.

Sample benefits of importance to Hamilton business owners and operators include easy access to more customers, the ability to draw from a deeper talent pool and opportunities to tap new funding streams. Together, these benefits translate into local jobs, prosperity and improved quality of life — good things we can all enjoy.

One way our chamber can continue to build and/or strengthen relationships with complementary organizations beyond Hamilton. That’s why our board has reconfirmed its support for outward-facing partnerships with leading entities such as the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, CivicAction and Evergreen City-Works. These regional ties, and countless others, spell opportunity for our members that are eager for growth. Moreover, these ties help ensure that Hamilton is top of mind among senior leaders at decisionmaking tables beyond our backyard.

Our board has also restated a commitment to engage fellow chambers in nearby communities. One example is our innovative partnership with the Burlington Chamber of Commerce. Last year, our two organizations came together to co-host the inaugural Bay Area Economic Summit devoted to the advancement of intercity co-operation. It resulted in a groundbreaking gathering of 350 leaders from our respective communities and it set in flight a fledgling Bay Area Partnership that we believe will lead to shared outcomes overtime, including strategic investments in regional infrastructure needed to support business development and local employment.

This partnership will be more fully defined at the second Hamilton and Burlington Bay Area Economic Summit on June 21 at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Themed “Leading Change in a Regional Age,” this event will zero in on ways to deepen co-operation throughout the Bay Area community. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne will give the keynote address.

Looking beyond this summit, we are keen to work with the Burlington chamber and others on big-picture themes such as global trade, foreign direct investment, industry cluster development, advanced manufacturing and big data. These themes require innovative and integrative approaches to regional economic co-operation. Count on the Hamilton chamber to be a champion of regional collaboration.

We are keen to work with the Burlington chamber and others on themes such as global trade and foreign investment.