#Together WeThrive 2020 PIVOT: MOVING FORWARD Your Southwest Indiana Chamber is proud to be leading collaborative efforts to position our region as “THE PLACE” to live, work and grow a business in the Midwest, the U.S. and beyond. Collaboration is the key, and at the Chamber we know “Together We Thrive.” www.swinchamber.com 2019/2020 @SWINChamber ANNUAL REPORT Pictured: Berry Global accepts the 2020 Business of the Year Award at the Annual Meeting & Dinner held in-person and via live stream, Sept. 24, 2020. many hundreds of businesses at risk – all without a playbook. thousands of businesses found and can still find the most accurate, up- to-the-minute guidance and information they need to protect their As the needs of our members, our community and our region evolve, the businesses. Southwest Indiana Chamber is by your side, engaging strategically and proactively, being nimble – responding to changes and ensuring that our We convened the Boards of the Chamber, Coalition and GAGE weekly region is positioned to thrive as a globally competitive place to work, live by Zoom to stay current on the greatest needs of our businesses, with and grow a business. The Chamber provided leadership with numerous the critical, timely input of many public sector leaders, including Mayor legislative wins, new and innovative programing, and strong support for Lloyd Winnecke and Congressman Larry Bucshon, as well as our health the Chamber’s Alliances and committees, tasked with keeping our region care providers. These calls quickly turned into a vital and trusted resource moving forward within their areas of focus. of information, guidance and collaboration to help our region navigate through this turbulent situation. The Southwest Indiana Chamber is an association of businesses and individuals who come together for the benefit of our region. You inform We recognized that if we could execute successfully, this was an our priorities, our public policy agenda, our member benefits, and every opportunity for our Chamber to have an even broader and more lasting aspect of our work and services. You make our events successful and impact on the resilience and prosperity of our region. That meant doing consistently the best-attended business programs in the community. things like: hosting Zoom town halls, showcasing local businesses, direct You guide our talent and workforce initiatives and advise the Southwest membership calls, business-to-business free webinar information sharing Indiana Small Business Development Center, which we are proud to host. and conducting surveys. Additionally, our Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, which has always been such an important Chambers of Commerce are catalysts, conveners and champions for partner to our business community, became even more critical through A our members and the communities in which we proudly serve. When these months. COVID-19 came to our region and our public health partners made MESSAGE it clear that we would have to stay home and close business until we Some tangible wins for 2020 include: the Chamber Foundation serving could safely manage the spread of the virus, we immediately pivoted community and quality of place priorities, modernizing our governance, FROM to provide all businesses in the region – not just our members – with winning marketing and communications awards, moving the needle the critical information and services they needed. Very early into the on the I-69 bridge, advancing regional prosperity and equity for all, and OUR BOARD pandemic we mobilized internally and with our Board, to determine how committing to aligned and deliberate progress and growth for our region. best to change gears from our normal course of operations and step CHAIRS up as the spark for nimble, collaborative leadership to businesses and We have a bright future. We are going to grow our region. We are going Luke Yeager, Incoming Chair-Elect | Christine Keck, Chair | Curt Begle, Chair-Elect stakeholders throughout this region. to prosper as an equitable and inclusive community that opens access to our economy to all. We are going to participate in the Global Economy The Southwest Indiana Chamber’s fiscal 2020 year ended years, we’ve led through a multitude of opportunities and With the able partnership of the Economic Development Coalition and because this Chamber, of which each of us is a part, will continue to September 30. The Chamber is an organization which challenges; potentially none as tumultuous, difficult to GAGE, we joined forces and quickly converted the Chamber website advocate for the change that moves us toward these goals, and we will has proudly served as the collective voice of our regional navigate or just plain scary as 2020. We’ve faced a pandemic to a Business Information Portal. For the months that our region was do it together with every like-minded organization and individual. business community since 1915. In one hundred and five with thousands of jobs lost, the closure of our economy and essentially closed to commerce and normal business transactions, #TogetherWeThrive COVID-19 RESPONSE BY THE NUMBERS... With 62 Board Members and 53 Ambassadors, the Southwest Indiana Chamber has gained more than 110 New Members during the 2019 - 2020 fiscal year. Helping to support our members’ specific needs are the Tri-State Manufacturing Alliance and the Family Business Alliance. Both alliances conduct informative quarterly events bringing high-quality, nationally recognized speakers. The alliances have also formed peer groups providing best practices and supporting incoming leaders. The Posey County Office is an extra layer of support BUSINESS for our members in the Posey County area. The Posey County Office hosts the Annual Report to the Posey County Business Community and the State of Schools, GROWTH among other activities throughout the year. 6,914 460 2,757 # of restaurant # of business owners # of member take-out/delivery participating in support calls website page views virtual town hall in March, April SERVICES We are proud to host the SW Indiana in March meetings and May Small Business Development Center - a top performing organization supporting new business. 834 117 307 # of survey # of small businesses # of businesses 466 Clients Served respondents - highlighted on WFIE 14 listed on thank you! Serving the Tri-State swinchamber.com TOTAL MEMBERS EMPLOYEES REPRESENTED 33 Business Starts as resources $10M Capital Investment Disaster related capital funding 1,335 133,000 SOUTHWEST 3,045 Jobs Supported $6.3M approved through SW Indiana SBDC Sally Rideout, our government affairs specialist, provided insights LEGISLATIVE WINS Governor Eric J. Holcomb joins Southwest Indiana Chamber President and CEO Tara Barney for a discussion through daily and then weekly COVID-19 updates from Gov. during the 2020 Lunch with the Governor. Other legislative and advocacy events included Lunch with the Eric J. Holcomb and his team to keep our members updated with SB1 Tobacco & Vaping Smoking Age the latest mandates, financial resources, and health and safety Mayor, Lunch with the Lt. Governor and Report to the Posey County Business Community. SB 409 Employment of Minors guidance across all sectors of business. She provided direct assistance to several members who reached out with HB 1153 & HB 1419 specific questions and concerns regarding their Governor’s Workforce Cabinet operations and safety plans. SB 177 Administration of the Our Public Policy Committee met Broadband Ready Program virtually with local legislators several SB 350 Central Indiana Regional times to provide direct input about Development Authority the business community and hear their perspectives on HB 1343 New Harmony & PUBLIC ways Indiana government Wabash River Bridge Authority was stepping in to help. SB 256 Courts & Judicial Officers POLICY Some of our committees, SB 61 EMS Personnel Licensure including our Infrastructure Interstate Compact We are the trusted voice of the regional business and our Energy and HB 1004 Health Matters community, and as such, we advocate for Environmental Committees, legislation and policies that help our region moved their meetings to virtual HB 1111 Unemployment thrive. We keep a keen eye on local, state formats to continue providing educational HB 1065 Various Tax Matters and national issues that positively or opportunities for members. adversely affect our members and the region. Some might say we have our elected leaders on speed dial. ADVOCATING FOR COMPLETION OF THE OHIO RIVER CROSSING Best location for economic development, cross river mobility and ease of traffic congestion. Proudly hosting the annual ATHENA Award Luncheon reflecting the critical importance COVID-19 RESPONSE WEBINARS of women in the community. MARCH 27: COVID-19 Legal Issues for Small Business APRIL 22: Food & Beverage Town Hall APRIL 23: Manufacturing Town Hall Close Contact Business Town Hall APRIL 24: Local Retail Town Hall APRIL 27: Manufacturing Best Practices APRIL 30: ReOpening After COVID-19: Staying Legal 2.0 Child Care Town Hall TALENT, MAY 6: ReOpening Stage 2 Retail Town Hall ReOpening Stage 2 Restaurant Bar Town Hall INCLUSION & MAY 19: Turning Adversity into Opportunity: Success in the Face of COVID-19 LEADERSHIP 3rd JUNE 1: Hospitality and Event Town Hall JUNE 17: Turning Adversity into Opportunity: ANNUAL Building Business and Personal Resilience LATINO CHAMBER ALLIANCE JULY 8: Turning Adversity into Opportunity: DINNER - ¡CELEBRECION! How to Think Like a Remote Worker What COVID-19 Means for