Georgia Chamber Of Commercefoundation Inc

THE GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION UNDERTAKES ACTIVITIES, WHICH EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON SUBJECTS USEFUL TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND BENEFICIAL TO THE COMMUNITY THE FOUNDATION PRIMARILY FOCUSES ON THE ISSUES OF HEALTH CARE AND WORK FORCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. THE FOUNDATION PROMOTES DEVELOPMENT OF POLICIES IN GEORGIA WHICH ADDRESS THE CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE FINANCING AND ITS IMPACT ON GEORGIA BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYEES. THE FOUNDATION ALSO IS INVOLVED IN ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE TRAINING AND MARKETABILITY OF GEORGIA'S WORK FORCE TO BRING HEALTHY ECONOMIC GROWTH TO ALL PARTS OF THE STATE

IN 2021, THE GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION (THE FOUNDATION) WAS INTEGRAL IN SETTING THE LONG-TERM STRATEGIC DIRECTION OF THE GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BY EXAMINING EMERGING TRENDS, DEVELOPING PUBLIC POLICY, AND PERFORMING DATA ANALYSIS. MUCH OF 2020 WAS FOCUSED ON PIVOTING TO ADDRESS THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. AT THE BEGINNING OF 2021 IT WAS EVIDENT COVID-19 WOULD CONTINUE TO BE A DISRUPTER CAUSING UNCERTAINTY FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, THE NEW GEORGIA ECONOMY, WAS ADAPTED TO BECOME THE REIMAGINED NEW GEORGIA ECONOMY. THIS INITIATIVE ALTERED ITS FOCUS FROM THE PREVIOUS EFFORT TO FOCUS ON HEARING DIRECTLY FROM BUSINESS LEADERS ACROSS THE STATE ABOUT THE ISSUES MOSTLY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTING THEIR CURRENT AND FUTURE OPERATIONS. IT IS PARAMOUNT TO UNDERSTAND CURRENT CHALLENGES TO BETTER PREPARE FOR FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES AND ENSURE RESILIENCY FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA. FEEDBACK WAS SOLICITED FROM BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL PROGRAMS. THE FOUNDATION DID ASSIST MANY MEMBERS WITH CONNECTING WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS TO PREPARE FOR RETURN TO WORK IN LIGHT OF THE UNCERTAINTY OF COVID-19, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATED TO ON-SITE VACCINES FOR INTERESTED EMPLOYEES. THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW EVENTS IN 2021. THE FIRST EVENT, THE FUTURE OF GEORGIA, WAS HELD IN AUGUST IN COLUMBUS, GEORGIA. THE FUTURE OF GEORGIA SUMMIT IS A DYNAMIC CONVENING OF GEORGIA INFLUENCERS THAT FOSTERS VISIONARY ENGAGEMENT LEADING TO LONG-TERM GOVERNMENTAL, POLICY, AND ECONOMIC COORDINATION FOR A REIMAGINED NEW GEORGIA ECONOMY. THROUGH COMPELLING PRESENTATIONS, REAL-TIME SURVEYS, STATEWIDE POLLING RESULTS, AND ENGAGING DISCUSSIONS, SOLUTIONS TO GEORGIA'S MOST PRESSING CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES WILL BE INTRODUCED. THE FUTURE OF GEORGIA SERVED AS A POLICY DRIVING CONVENING, FACILITATING A COORDINATED APPROACH, AND STRONG PARTNERSHIPS AMONG LEADERS FROM EVERY SECTOR. THIS EVENT WILL BE HELD AGAIN IN FEBRUARY 2022. ADDITIONALLY, THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTED THE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION OF THE TRANSFORMING TALENT EVENT. THIS FOCUSED ON BRINGING TOGETHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LEADERS TO ADVANCE ACTIONABLE SOLUTIONS TO GEORGIA'S GROWING WORKFORCE SHORTAGES. MANY OF THE SOLUTIONS REQUIRE IMMEDIATE INVESTMENTS IN LONG-TERM TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS SO IT IS INTEGRAL TO BEGIN TO EDUCATE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO FOSTER LONG-TERM PROSPERITY. THE FOUNDATION ALSO EXECUTED ITS THIRD CLASS OF THE HIGH POTENTIALS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM ACCELERATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE LEADERS WITHIN COMPANIES BY TEACHING PARTICIPANTS HOW TO EFFECTIVELY AND AUTHENTICALLY REPRESENT THEIR COMPANY IN EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS, FOCUSING ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.THE FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO WORK ON A GRANT FROM BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION CALLED THE SMART DECISIONS COALITION. THROUGH THE GRANT, THE FOUNDATION WORKED TO EXAMINE BARRIERS TO POST- SECONDARY SUCCESS FOR GEORGIANS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICY INTERVENTIONS TO ADVANCE THE STATE'S WORKFORCE. THE SMART DECISIONS COALITION CONTINUED TO MEET THROUGHOUT 2021, ASSESSING NEW NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES GIVEN THE EVOLVING CONDITIONS IN K-12 DISTRICTS AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS. THIS YEAR, STEM MINI-GRANTS WERE AWARDED TO SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE TO BOLSTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS OF THE FUTURE AND ENSURE GEOGRAPHY DID NOT LIMIT STUDENTS' EXPOSURE TO STEM CONCEPTS. A VIDEO WAS ALSO CREATED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS ISSUE FOR GEORGIA STUDENTS AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE. THE FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO IMPLEMENT ITS GRANT FROM THE CHAN ZUCKERBERG INITIATIVE TO SHIFT THE NARRATIVE SURROUNDING IMMIGRATION IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA, THE GLOBAL TALENT INITIATIVE. THIS PROJECT RECEIVED ADDITIONAL FUNDING, $30,000 FROM FWD.US. THE GLOBAL TALENT INITIATIVE AND A TASK FORCE WAS BUILT CHAIRED BY KEVIN GREINER, GAS SOUTH, AND RENE DIAZ, DIAZ FOODS. THE TASK FORCE IS COMPOSED OF BUSINESS LEADERS, INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER LEADERS, AND NON-PROFITS THAT WORK DIRECTLY WITH FOREIGN-BORN INDIVIDUALS. THIS DIVERSE GROUP, REPRESENTATIVE OF VARIETY OF GEORGIA INDUSTRIES CONTINUED TO REVIEW POLLING DATA AND SHARE INSIGHTS REGARDING TACTICS AND STRATEGY. ONE-PAGERS CONTINUED TO BE DEVELOPED AND INCLUDED ON THE WEBSITE AS AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE. ADDITIONALLY, A VIDEO WAS FILMED BY INTERVIEWING NUMEROUS MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE, AS WELL AS OTHER BUSINESS LEADERS TO PROVIDE BETTER INFORMATION ABOUT EXISTING CHALLENGES AND THE TRUE ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE OF GROWING THE WORKFORCE. MULTIPLE OP-EDS WERE ALSO DRAFTED EDUCATING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LEADERS AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC AT LARGE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT PROGRAMS, POLICY SOLUTIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE FURTHER. THE FOUNDATION ALSO SUPPORTED THE WORK OF THE GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES' INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MAXIMIZE GLOBAL TALENT STUDY COMMITTEE THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND FALL. MULTIPLE PRESENTATIONS WERE PROVIDED TO LEGISLATORS TO EDUCATE THEM ON THE IMPORTANCE FROM A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE AND OUTREACH WAS CONDUCTED TO ENGAGE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO PRESENT TO THE COMMITTEE TOO. IN DECEMBER, THE STUDY COMMITTEE RELEASED FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT BOLSTER THE GLOBAL TALENT INITIATIVE'S RESEARCH, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION FOR DIVERSE TALENT. A KEY PART OF THE FOUNDATION IS THE POLICY COMMITTEES WHICH EXAMINE POLICY ACTIVITY OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND GLOBALLY TO IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES. EACH POLICY COMMITTEE DEVELOPED STRATEGIC AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THE COMING YEAR. THE TALENT AND LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE FOCUSED ON BARRIERS TO POST- SECONDARY SUCCESS ALIGNING WITH THE WORK OF THE SMART DECISIONS COALITION. THIS ISSUE HAS BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT WITH NUMEROUS GEORGIA FAMILIES FACING FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS DUE TO THE ONGOING UNCERTAINTY OF THE PANDEMIC. ADDITIONALLY, MANY STUDENT SUPPORTS ARE LESS ACCESSIBLE AS STUDENTS CONTINUE TO BE EDUCATED VIRTUALLY ELIMINATING OPPORTUNITIES TO REMOVE THESE BARRIERS. THE COMMITTEE ALSO FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE. LIKE WITH POST-SECONDARY ACCESS, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION BECAME MORE IMPORTANT DURING THE PANDEMIC AS MANY FAMILIES WERE ATTEMPTING TO WORK AND EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN. THIS HAS LIMITED THE EARNING POTENTIAL OF MANY GEORGIANS, PARTICULARLY WOMEN. WITH A RECORD NUMBER OF WOMEN LEAVING THE WORKFORCE, IT IS INTEGRAL TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO SUPPORT GEORGIA WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE FUTURE OF TALENT WAS A CONTINUED AREA OF ANALYSIS AS OUR WORKFORCE EVOLVES IN TERMS OF WHERE INDIVIDUALS WORK AND HOW THEY WORK. AS MENTIONED, THE HIGH POTENTIALS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM WAS EXECUTED IN 2021. A FINAL AREA OF FOCUS FOR THE COMMITTEE WAS GROWING A STEAM PIPELINE IN THE STATE, CONSIDERING THE ACCELERATED AUTOMATION TRENDS, MEANING STUDENTS NEED EARLIER EXPOSURE TO CAREERS IN THESE FIELDS. THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE CONTINUED TO STAY APPRISED OF TRENDS VACCINE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT ACROSS THE U.S. AND GEORGIA. OTHER AREAS OF FOCUS THAT WERE OF THE UPMOST IMPORTANCE GIVEN COVID-19, WERE ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE AND GROWING THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE. BOTH OF THESE AREAS HAVE BEEN STRAINED BY THE PANDEMIC IN UNPRECEDENTED WAYS. ENSURING HEALTHCARE WORKERS HAD NECESSARY LIABILITY PROTECTIONS WAS ANOTHER KEY PRIORITY FOR THE COMMITTEE AND THE CHAMBER AS A WHOLE. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, THE TOPICS OF PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AND EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF TELEMEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS, WERE CONSIDERED IN AN EFFORT TO REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE LONG-TERM POLICY SHIFTS THAT MUST OCCUR TO CONTINUE POSITIVE GROWTH IN THE INDUSTRY. THE BUSINESS CLIMATE COMMITTEE FOCUSED MUCH OF 2021 ON UNDERSTANDING THE ECONOMIC AND TAX TRENDS AT WORK BASED ON EVOLVING CIRCUMSTANCES. ADDITIONALLY, RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO SEE IF ANY REVISIONS WERE NEEDED TO EXISTING INCENTIVES TO ENSURE GEORGIA REMAINS COMPETITIVE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. EXAMINING TAX POLICY TRENDS WERE ALSO AN AREA OF FOCUS TO ENSURE THE STATE WAS ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON SHIFTS IN HOW CONSUMERS WERE SPENDING. THE COMMITTEE ALSO HEARD PRESENTATIONS REGARDING ECONOMIC MOBILITY EFFORTS BECAUSE GROWING OUR ECONOMY IS VITAL TO OUR STATE'S LONG-TERM ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.