A tale of two chambers, working together

Hamilton, Burlington understand the value of looking at the economy through a regional lens

Much has been written about the Bay Area Economic Summit (BAES) at the Royal Botanical Gardens June 2. From “meet the new economic power kids on the block” to “Hamilton and Burlington: strength in unity,” it was a very quoteworthy event. However, what made the event so successful in my view was not only the great lineup of speakers and attendees (David Braley, the Hon. Charles Sousa, Mayors Rick Goldring and Fred Eisenberger, Ron Foxcroft, Rod Phillips), it was that the event was co-hosted by two independent organizations: the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.

Before this first-ever BAES, the Hamilton Chamber had hosted seven very successful Hamilton Economic Summits.

It’s no surprise that to think regionally is the best approach when it comes to growing the economy, so when the opportunity to help transform the Hamilton economic summit into a regional summit presented itself, it was an easy decision to make.

My answer was quick and positive when Keanin Loomis, my counterpart in Hamilton, suggested our two Chambers host together. Convincing politicians in Burlington to climb aboard the regional bandwagon was not at all difficult; clearly, Burlington’s city council understands the value of looking at the economy through a regional lens.

“There are obvious synergies i n working with Hamilton,” said Mayor Rick Goldring, who shared the stage with Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger.

Building a summit with a focus on a regional economy added many layers to the complexity of the event. Ultimately, the co-operation between the two Chambers and the two communities is what made the BAES so successful.

And the collaborative work is not done yet. One of the outcomes from the BAES will be a white paper that will be delivered to both city councils and other agencies. This document will be jointly authored by the two Chambers of Commerce.

At the end of the day, the fact that it was two Chambers of Commerce who put the event together is very fitting. Chambers are known for growing business and the economy through collaboration and relationship building, and that’s what the Bay Area Economic Summit was all about.

It’s no surprise that to think regionally is the best approach when it comes to growing the economy.