The Chamber: Where We Stand

A key role of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is to communicate the values and positions of the business community to government officials.

This matters because policymakers are being pushed and pulled by a multitude of interest groups and agendas. And, to a large degree, they are captives to their own backgrounds and many of them have no business experience. Though it’s difficult to agree on a common set of values and positions, it’s worth doing to offer some guidance in the development of public policy that effects business.

To that end, the Chamber produces a policy document called ‘Where We Stand.’ It’s something I initiated when I became CEO in 2003. Since no such policy framework existed, it was hard to articulate our views on most issues.

In the beginning we collected what we could from Board minutes then began asking the Local Legislative Affairs Committee (LLAC) about our positions and what they should be. That led to a draft document being discussed and adopted by the Chamber Board of Directors.

The Chamber’s government affairs staff works with the members of the LLAC to periodically review ‘Where We Stand’ and recommend updates to the Board.

The latest iteration of ‘Where We Stand’ was adopted in November and is posted on the Chamber’s website. You can find it here.

What are the Chamber’s views on economic development? Look at Page 10. Education? Page 14. Mandated employee wages? Page 20. Climate change? Page 22. Electricity? Page 38. And so on.

If you’ve ever wondered where the Chamber stood on some issue, ‘Where We Stand’ is a good place to look. As you do, know there is a process in place to deliberately think about important issues and shape policy in support of the Chamber’s mission of proactively empowering business people to build a community where business can thrive and citizens are proud to live.