Top 10 Chamber Stories of 2022

Written By Chambers for Innovation
West Virginia can be the Country's Leading Energy Producer Again, with the Help of Clean Energy
Randy Crane, President of the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce in West Virginia, composed an Op-Ed to illustrate the clean energy industry's positive impact on West Virginia's economy, job growth, and economic development opportunities. Crane encourages both state senators and other lawmakers to support legislation to bolster "West Virginia’s job and energy portfolio by supporting clean energy investment provisions in upcoming legislation."

Greensboro Chamber Helps Land the Billion Dollar Toyota Regional Megasite
The impact of Toyota’s announcement to build its first ever North American battery manufacturing plant in North Carolina was expressed with clarity by Brent Christensen, President & CEO of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. “When you have jobs like this, you change peoples’ lives,” said Christensen. 
Working Toward Sunny Opportunities
Michelle Rotellini, president/CEO of the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce in West Virginia, composed an Op-Ed to illustrate the impact solar energy development has on West Virginia's economy, job growth, and economic development opportunities. Rotellini understands the importance of diversifying energy supply, and the chamber supports an "all of the above" approach to energy generation in the Mountain State. 
EV Industry in FL: The Electric Surge of EVs in the Sunshine State
One of the most high-profile aspects of clean energy is the growth of electric vehicles and in many cases, the membership of chambers of commerce are buying vehicles for their personal use, their fleets, and installing chargers at their business. In April, nearly 200 people joined the Seminole County Chamber for an in-depth look at the state of the EV industry in Florida, including hearing from a panel of people in the industry moderated by the chamber’s CEO, State Senator Jason Brodeur.

AZ Op-Ed: Corporate Sector Can Lead the Way in Securing Arizona's Clean Energy Future
This opinion piece was co-authored by Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council and SciTech Institute and Robin S. Reed, president and CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona and co-founder and principal of EmFluent, LLC. 

Winter Park Chamber Leads Community Sustainability with Innovative Prosperity Scorecard
When COVID-19 hit, the Winter Park Chamber, like so many others, mobilized to work on a multitude of issues outside of the typical purview of a chamber, even creating an Economic Recovery Task Force. “We became aware of needs that we didn’t traditionally look at, like poverty and food insecurity,” says the chamber’s president/CEO, Betsy Gardner Eckbert, IOM. “Afterward, we thought we needed to create a tool measuring total prosperity where everyone could plug in and see the factors that create prosperity.”
The Brooklyn Chamber Holds Energy Summit and Expo
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce in New York is positioned to be a leader in developing a clean energy economy, and recently hosted a Brooklyn Energy Summit and Expo to talk about the city’s clean energy future. The chamber brought together community innovators and leaders to focus on workforce development, and discuss energy efficiency and savings. 
Logan County Chamber Ensures that Their Community is Well Informed on Solar
The Logan County Chamber of Commerce (OH) recently partnered with Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy to provide a Utility-Scale Solar Forum in conjunction with a regular meeting of the Logan County Community Improvement Corporation. This event was targeted at community leaders, in a grass tops strategy, to help ensure that the information presented would flow to the local population from trusted sources. 
Texas Works Towards a Clean Energy Economy, Helping Communities Across the State, Regardless of Political Opinions on the Industry
The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce has had a hand in recruiting energy companies to develop at least nine solar and wind farms near their small town. “They’re providing a really strong revenue source,” said Michael Looney, head of economic development for the San Angelo Chamber. The San Angelo community seemed open to the new projects, despite clean energy not always being well received in other communities across the country. “They (renewable energy projects) have some political pushback in certain communities that find them to be not a really good fit, but in Tom Green County we found that it was a perfect fit.”
Florida Clean Energy - Powering Workforce Development
The panel, moderated by CICE’s Alan Byrd, discussed how rapid growth of the clean energy sector presents economic opportunity in Florida and how critical it is to have a workforce with the right skills and training in order to attract clean energy companies to both urban and rural areas. A key message for the audience of chamber of commerce executives, was to keep in mind that from June to August, hundreds of millions in federal funding will flow into Florida thanks to the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
If you would like to learn more about navigating clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Ryan Evans.
Chambers for Innovation