The Chamber held its quarterly Advocacy in the A.M. event at\u00a0University Research Park, where it unveiled its two-year advocacy agenda titled \u201cEmergence.\u201d It reflects the top goals of the Chamber\u2019s board, Brandon said, which represents some of the most prominent and notable companies in the region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The board\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For example, while part of the agenda involves investing in research and development, as well as \u201cregional innovation hubs,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
But turning those aspirations into reality will require lobbying at different levels of government, Brandon said. It\u2019s something that will take time, he said, but the agenda also carries a lot of weight coming from Madison\u2019s business community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cJust to have a conversation about emergence is appropriate,\u201d said event panelist Camille Carter,\u00a0Madison Black Chamber of Commerce\u00a0president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Also adding insight into the issues the agenda looks to address were\u00a06AM Marketing<\/a>\u00a0CEO Wayne Harris, University Research Park director Aaron Olver and\u00a0Latino Chamber of Commerce\u00a0president Jessica Cavazos.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Harris said building public confidence \u2014 even customer and employee confidence \u2014 involves following \u201csolid data\u201d and not getting \u201chung up\u201d on emotions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Panelists also addressed transportation barriers that entrepreneurs of color face in getting to work, as well as how\u00a0Madison can maintain its status as a research powerhouse, for which Olver said the key is workforce development \u2014 and an affordable place to live.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Regarding trust amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter said \u201cBlack people are wary of experimental vaccines.\u201d Cavazos said Latino Chamber clients report similar mistrust in the shots. Education efforts can help, she said, particularly in Madison neighborhoods like Allied Dunn\u2019s Marsh, where the Latinos who make up a majority of that area are unvaccinated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThey just don\u2019t understand the reasons for vaccination,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a Chamber, we decided to tackle some of the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Latino Chamber sent a staff member to Allied Dunn\u2019s Marsh to educate residents about the benefits of getting the COVID-19 shot, which removed a language barrier for Spanish speakers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But the panelists agreed entrepreneurs coming from marginalized communities need more than certainty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Some members of the Black Chamber only have the capacity to focus on inventory and customer relations, Carter said, as 90% are sole proprietors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That might prevent them from\u00a0moving their business out of survival mode, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And aside from that challenge, some members may not understand why making connections is important, so it\u2019s \u201creally essential for organizations to really be their eyes and ears to understand their priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Minority groups also need to be able to move around, they agreed, and without fear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For instance, one Latino Chamber member avoids certain roads on their commute to work, Cavazos said. That\u2019s because they fear being tracked down by\u00a0Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as they aren\u2019t able to obtain a driver\u2019s license nor have automobile insurance, Harris said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPeople come here because the poverty rate is so high in (Latino) countries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMadison is on track to be a superstar innovation hub,\u201d he said. \u201cResearch coming out of the pandemic \u2026 it didn\u2019t change the trajectory of where this economy is headed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cShame on us if we have greater disparity (in the future),\u201d Brandon added, touching on any failure of Madison\u2019s business community to embrace diversity.<\/p>\n About Skyhigh.Vip<\/a><\/p>\n Skyhigh.Vip<\/a> is a global institutional investor with vast interest in Arts <\/a> \/ Construction<\/a> \/ Education<\/a> \/ Business Services<\/a> \/ E-Sports <\/a>and various other growth industries.<\/p>\n Several of its popular portfolio includes GO Chambers<\/a> which is the world’s largest business chamber listing providers with over 30,000 active chambers<\/a> as its members.<\/p>\n Flexgigzz<\/a> is the Asia leading marketplace for freelancer service and together with SOHO Learning Hub<\/a> which is an online platform for short courses and both of them aims to be the number one provider in Asia. For growth industries such as E-Sport Authority <\/a> which is dedicated to providing independent media coverage to all E-Sport <\/a>News related from around the world and for the art world, there is Atelier Auction<\/a> which is an investable art auctioneer and being in the art scene for decades.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Madison is poised to emerge from the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic with the world watching closely how the metro area recovers,\u00a0Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce\u00a0president Zach Brandon said at an event Tuesday. The Chamber held its quarterly Advocacy in the A.M. event at\u00a0University Research Park, where it unveiled its two-year advocacy agenda titled \u201cEmergence.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[29,49,203,204],"class_list":{"0":"post-577","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news","8":"tag-chamber-of-commerce","9":"tag-chambers","10":"tag-madison","11":"tag-madison-chamber"},"yoast_head":"\n