Summer 2017 TucsonChamber.org WHAT’S INSIDE: The Chamber’s Future is Bright Why Arts and Culture Matter 1st Session/53rd Legislature and Full of Promise pg: 3 / to Our Region pg: 11 / Report Card pg: 22 ECONOMIC EXPANSION AND JOB CREATION Retain and expand local business Foster business growth and job creation Promote our community WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Improve workforce readiness • Lead Intern to Career program for high school students • Foster better alignment between education and private sector • Collaborate with Earn to Learn program ADVOCACY Develop future business leaders • Host the Emerging Leaders Council Support public policy that promotes • Collaborate with Greater Tucson Leadership economic expansion • Create and promote a pro-business legislative agenda • Advocate for the preservation and expansion of funding Promote strategic problem solving for education between private and public entities • Protect funding for career and technical education • Increase Chamber investor awareness of issues and candidate positions • Maintain the Project Prosperity program • Maintain the Coalition Against Retail Theft (CART) Ensure the business position is represented in elections • Provide We Can Help online help desk resource • Evaluate candidates for public office Host public policy forums • Promote the election of public policy makers who • Lead delegation of business leaders to Washington, D.C. to understand and support job creation advocate with federal officials • Promote passage or defeat of business-relevant ballot • Host the State of the State Address initiatives • Host the State of the City Address • Administer the Tucson Metro Chamber Political Action Committee (PAC) • Host Issues Over Easy Increase the voice of business with • Host Interface local, state and federal officials • Represent business at City Council and County Board Create new economic opportunity for meetings Tucson region • Schedule business leaders to appear at City Council and • Promote the expansion of air service at Tucson International County Board meetings Airport • Mobilize Chamber investors to engage with policy decision • Host procurement workshops with federal, state, county and makers city entities • Collaborate with the Southern Arizona Defense Alliance • Advocate for expanded military mission assignments throughout Southern Arizona 2 THE CHAMBER EDGE Executive Committee Chairman of the Board Chairman’s Message Larry Lucero UNS Energy Corporation Vice Chair Larry Lucero Barbi Reuter Chairman of the Board Cushman & Wakefi eld | PICOR Past Chairman Robert D. Ramirez The Chamber’s Future is Bright and Full of Promise Vantage West Credit Union As I write my fi rst chairman’s letter I must begin with thank you, gracias, takk. Treasurer David Lopez-Monroy On behalf of the investors of the Tucson Metro Chamber we are grateful for the leadership of BeachFleischman, PC retiring President and CEO Mike Varney and Immediate Past Chairman Robert Ramirez. Secretary Mike Varney agreed to lead the Chamber in 2011 during the worst economic era our region has Sherry Downer experienced since the Depression and inherited an organization that needed to re-invent itself. I am Law Offi ce of Sherry J. Downer, PLLC. proud to say the results have been outstanding and the Chamber today is poised to continue on a President & CEO path to greater success. Michael Varney Tucson Metro Chamber The Tucson Metro Chamber Board of Directors has engaged in a search for a new leader for the future − a future that is bright and full of promise thanks to the fi nancial contributions from our Board of Directors investors, their expertise and valuable volunteer time. The Board of Directors is representing your Ghee Alexander interests and providing direction, implemented by a great Chamber management team and staff Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Resort nimbly providing great service to our investors. Bill Assenmacher Caid Industries Robert, thank you for your exemplary leadership as chairman of the board. As the Chamber’s new chairman, I will not try to fi ll your shoes, but will lace up my own running shoes to try to keep Amy Beiter, M.D. Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital up with the high bar you set. Stephanie Healy Planning: At the end of April the Board held an all-day planning session to discuss our Cox Communications program of work and priorities for the future. The planning session was driven by a great deal of Mark Irvin data including investor survey results, investor characteristics and needs and fi nancial projections. Mark Irvin Commercial Additionally, we were briefed by David Kilby, executive director of the Western Association of Real Estate Services Chamber Executives, on “The State of the Chamber Industry—Now and Future”. The Board and Ben Korn representatives of the Emerging Leaders Council had a robust discussion and all attendees Safeguard participated in making informed choices of how to best meet our investor’s expectations and needs. Robert Lenhard Hallmark Business Consultants The Future Wendell Long Economic Expansion: Our investors deserve the best service and products to help them grow Arcpoint their businesses. Our goal of economic expansion is defi ned by retaining and expanding local Jill Malick business, fostering job creation and promoting our community. How do we plan to succeed? Wells Fargo Kelle Maslyn Advocacy: We’ll continue the great advocacy work that the Chamber is now known to Arizona State University champion by: Ian McDowell • Supporting public policy that promotes economic expansion Sundt Construction • Ensuring the business position is represented in elections Tom McGovern • Increasing the voice of business with local, state and federal offi cials PSOMAS • Promoting strategic problem solving between private and public entities Tim Medcoff • Hosting public policy forums Farhang & Medcoff • Creating new economic opportunity for the Tucson region Mitch Pisik Pisik Consulting Group Workforce Development: Lack of workplace talent and fi nding qualifi ed workers has been identifi ed as one of the biggest obstacles facing our investors. To address this challenge the Walter Richter Chamber is focused on: Southwest Gas Corp. Matthew Rosen • Improving workforce readiness Burk, Hall & Co. Wealth • Developing future business leaders Management & Investments Steve Rosenberg As you can see we have an ambitious plan. I hope you will participate with us in taking the BizTucson Tucson Metro Chamber to new heights. For further details on the Chamber’s Top Priorities, please JB Shockey see page two to the left. I hope to see you at the next Chamber event. Crest Insurance Lea Standridge Raytheon Missile Systems Howard Stewart AGM Container Controls Larry Lucero Chairman of the Board Matt Wandoloski Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona TucsonChamber.org Summer 2017 3 The Chamber Staff President’s Message Executive President & CEO Michael V. Varney Michael V. Varney Chief Financial and Operations O cer Laura Nagore President & CEO Executive Vice President Lori Banzhaf Executive Assistant What is “governance by the loud”? Shirley Wilka, CPS An interesting publication arrived in my inbox recently from the Association of Chamber of Administrator to Executive VP Commerce Executives (ACCE), a national association for chamber of commerce executives Rosa Herrera around the country. ACCE recently published a landmark whitepaper called Horizons 2025 Business Development discussing the current state of chambers of commerce and their mission to bring prosperity and community improvements to cities and regions across the U.S. The whitepaper included eight Business Development Executive Edgar Martinez “infl uences” that will drive chambers and the communities they represent. It is an excellent piece of work. Government Affairs However, many chambers of commerce, including the Tucson Metro Chamber, wondered Vice President of Government A airs why none of the eight infl uences dealt with the private sector’s interface with government. The Robert Medler absence of a chapter on this subject was apparently profound enough that ACCE recently Government A airs Manager released a document called The Ninth Infl uence: Limitations of Government. This document, like Grace Gegenheimer its eight siblings, is an excellent essay. Communications In The Ninth Infl uence, there is a section that talks about “governance by the loud”. An example given is the phenomenon of how a handful of rowdy protesters can derail badly Communications Director Carissa Fairbanks needed school reform for the entire region. We experience governance by the loud frequently at Tucson City Council and Pima County Board of Supervisors meetings. Governance by the loud Creative Manager generally works like this. A small group of passionate people who hold very strong views on a David Long given subject organize themselves and speak forcefully and sometimes threateningly at these Communications Specialist public meetings. They carry signs and wear the same shirts. They are very small in number, but Toree Calloway in the venues where public meetings are held they make an impression on our elected leaders. They call their opponents names and vilify them. Civility is often thrown out the window. Special Events Events Manager The problem with “governance by the loud” is that these few individuals seldom represent a Carol Gatewood mainstream view of a given subject. People who engage in governance by the loud count on elected leaders perceiving their numbers and infl uence to be far greater than they really are. Events Coordinator