Madison is poised to emerge from the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic with the world watching closely how the metro area recovers, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce president Zach Brandon said at an event Tuesday.
The Chamber held its quarterly Advocacy in the A.M. event at University Research Park, where it unveiled its two-year advocacy agenda titled “Emergence.” It reflects the top goals of the Chamber’s board, Brandon said, which represents some of the most prominent and notable companies in the region.
The board’s priorities include embracing diversity and inclusion in the business sector, specifically by helping to remove the systemic barriers that keep underrepresented groups of people from realizing their entrepreneurial potential.
For example, while part of the agenda involves investing in research and development, as well as “regional innovation hubs,” it also addresses increased access to transportation systems and workforce housing. Developing, mentoring, recruiting and promoting talent to guide the future workforce, as well as ensuring Madison retains its current position as a place to make a life are board goals as well.
But turning those aspirations into reality will require lobbying at different levels of government, Brandon said. It’s something that will take time, he said, but the agenda also carries a lot of weight coming from Madison’s business community.
“Just to have a conversation about emergence is appropriate,” said event panelist Camille Carter, Madison Black Chamber of Commerce president.
Also adding insight into the issues the agenda looks to address were 6AM Marketing CEO Wayne Harris, University Research Park director Aaron Olver and Latino Chamber of Commerce president Jessica Cavazos.
David Aguayo, Chamber public policy manager, asked the panelists how businesses and government entities can build trust among the general public, as well as what entrepreneurs of color need right now to build a successful business model.
Harris said building public confidence — even customer and employee confidence — involves following “solid data” and not getting “hung up” on emotions.
Panelists also addressed transportation barriers that entrepreneurs of color face in getting to work, as well as how Madison can maintain its status as a research powerhouse, for which Olver said the key is workforce development — and an affordable place to live.
Regarding trust amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter said “Black people are wary of experimental vaccines.” Cavazos said Latino Chamber clients report similar mistrust in the shots. Education efforts can help, she said, particularly in Madison neighborhoods like Allied Dunn’s Marsh, where the Latinos who make up a majority of that area are unvaccinated.
“They just don’t understand the reasons for vaccination,” she said. “As a Chamber, we decided to tackle some of the issue.”
The Latino Chamber sent a staff member to Allied Dunn’s Marsh to educate residents about the benefits of getting the COVID-19 shot, which removed a language barrier for Spanish speakers.
But the panelists agreed entrepreneurs coming from marginalized communities need more than certainty.
They need access to quality networking opportunities, as well as resources for capital to get their business off the ground, Carter and Cavazos each said.
Some members of the Black Chamber only have the capacity to focus on inventory and customer relations, Carter said, as 90% are sole proprietors.
That might prevent them from moving their business out of survival mode, she said.
And aside from that challenge, some members may not understand why making connections is important, so it’s “really essential for organizations to really be their eyes and ears to understand their priorities.”
Minority groups also need to be able to move around, they agreed, and without fear.
For instance, one Latino Chamber member avoids certain roads on their commute to work, Cavazos said. That’s because they fear being tracked down by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as they aren’t able to obtain a driver’s license nor have automobile insurance, Harris said.
Cavazos said she pushed for the board to tackle removing state and local licensing barriers tied to federal immigration status as an objective in its agenda, which the board embraced.
“People come here because the poverty rate is so high in (Latino) countries,” she said.
But helping people build on their dreams remains a big possibility in the region, Brandon said during a Wednesday interview, especially during a time optimism can be hard to come by.
“Madison is on track to be a superstar innovation hub,” he said. “Research coming out of the pandemic … it didn’t change the trajectory of where this economy is headed.”
“Shame on us if we have greater disparity (in the future),” Brandon added, touching on any failure of Madison’s business community to embrace diversity.
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