With heavy hearts, we want to recognize the sad and tragic event last week impacting our community.   It’s senseless actions like these that remind us of how short life can be and the importance of family and community.  Our thoughts are with the families of Tivani Lopati, Paul Tahi, and Ephraim Asiata who still remains in the hospital. 
 
Change and flexibility seem to be one of the byproducts of Covid-19 hitting our many businesses and community.  We are pulling out all the stops to keep our organizations staffed while working to keep employees and customers safe.  At some point, COVID should be in the rear view mirror! 
 
Changes to ChamberWest programs include the postponement of our Annual Awards Gala to Tuesday, March 29^th.  The theme this year is “There’s No Place Like ChamberWest!”  We are looking for sponsors of this signature ChamberWest program that will attract 400+ of our business and civic leaders as we celebrate award finalists and our Hall of Fame Award winner, Mayor Kristine Overson.  Sponsorship information is available at: https://chambermaster.blob.core.windows.net/userfiles/UserFiles/chambers/3110/File/22GalaSponsorships.pdf.  If interested, please reach out to me or one of our staff members for additional information.    
 
We are calling out for nominations for five different award categories:  Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Best Place to Work, Best New Business of the Year, or Volunteer of the Year.   If you or a member business you know would be a great candidate for one of our five business award categories, please take a few minutes and fill out a brief nomination form available at:  https://chambermaster.blob.core.windows.net/userfiles/UserFiles/chambers/3110/File/CWGalaNominationFormv20122-fill.pdf
 
The January Professional Development Series has been postponed to March 15^th.  We are excited to have Chris Redgrave, a Generational Differences Expert/Professional Speaker, presenting on “Navigating Differences in the Workplace”.  She will cover generations, cultural characteristics, and trends currently impacting our workplace to illuminate how being informed contributes to successfully working with our current workforce.  Save your seat at:  https://chamberwest.com/events/details/professional-development-series-with-guest-speaker-chris-redgrave-1592.
 
The Legislative Affairs Committee continue to meet weekly with the twice weekly cadence starting next week.  The Catalytic Converter Amendments bill, HB38, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Wilcox, is a bill we have taken a priority position in support as we’ve been working with the sponsor on the bill for several months.  You can review the bill at: https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/static/HB0038.html. 
 
Our Women in Business have another strong schedule this year with the Annual Conference scheduled for April 12^th.  Our Ambassadors continue to meet and to support ribbon cuttings with two scheduled for later this week.  We continue to hold our Leadership Institute sessions, our Board of Directors and Board of Governors meetings, our Tourism and Hospitality Committee, along with many other committees as we start the year out strong.   
 
If we can provide any assistance, please feel free to reach out to us.  Let’s all look forward to an amazing 2022!  Stay safe!
 
Best wishes,
 
Barbara
Barbara S. Riddle, CMP
President/CEO
801-540-6312
www.ChamberWest.com