Longmont business community,

Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce’s purpose is to build a strong, thriving community and we believe strong businesses across all industries are a critical component to our progress. During this pandemic, we have worked with city leadership, industry and business owners to provide relevant resources to assist our business community. We have numerous communication channels that have addressed what we are doing to support our businesses and their employees. Our Chamber is committed to delivering on its mission through four Pillars: Education, Advocacy, Membership and Leadership.

My plan is to discuss each pillar at length. Today, my focus is on education. I am a member of our business community, however I am also a member of our education community. We are in the season when we normally would be celebrating high school and college graduations – but nothing is normal this year. As we continue to deal with the effects of the pandemic and begin to emerge from stay-at-home to safer-at-home, I salute the heroic efforts of our students, teachers, staff, administrators, and families who persevered in the vital work of education through a time like no other.

Our Chamber’s educational partners, including St. Vrain Valley School District and Front Range Community College (FRCC), had to suddenly convert to remote learning. Teachers had to adopt a delivery method different from traditional classroom methods. Countless employees from administrators to bus drivers, cafeteria workers and IT professionals faced major disruption. Many Longmonsters were impacted by the shift of education to online delivery that called on parents to be at home with their children. This complicated their professional and business lives. I understand firsthand what many of you were experiencing. During the semester my wife, who typically runs our family business, had to be home with our children while I managed our business and taught my course load remotely simultaneously.

As a community we became aware of the digital gap; that the access many of us take for granted is something that will undoubtedly come into greater focus as an issue we must resolve to ensure quality education for the children in our community. Students had to adjust to new ways of learning using different technological tools. They had to sacrifice their social lives. Remember the excitement of prom, other celebrations, and walking across the stage at commencement when you were in high school? Our high school seniors did not get to experience those things this year. As a Chamber, we are proud of our graduating students and everyone who played a role in their success under extraordinary circumstances. Although difficult in the moment, these distance-learning experiences provided students with an introduction to how work will be conducted in the future.

Education is a cornerstone of our Chamber’s work. The Chamber speaks Longmont and understands that talent development and staffing is a major priority for employers. Our Education Committee is about building bridges between businesses and education. This committee of teachers, administrators, and passionate student success advocates in the business community meets monthly and continued to meet monthly during stay-at-home. Our Chamber Student Network connects high school and college students to industry experts. CSN leadership team continues to plan ways to build community connections into the fall semester.

The Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, its Education Committee and Chamber Student Network would like to congratulate the following students on their achievements and appreciate their contributions to the chamber.

• Sophia Collender; Silver Creek High School. Sophia worked as an intern for the Education Committee responsible for social media since 2017. Sophia plans on attending Fordham University this Fall.
• Megan Collins; Front Range Community College-Boulder County. Megan is a member of the Chamber Student Network and received the Outstanding Student Grit Award which recognizes students who have shown outstanding contributions to FRCC both inside the classroom and outside, making significant contributions to enhance the student experience.
• Marty Hanscome; Front Range Community College-Boulder County. Marty was recognized by the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) as a Rising Star recipient for his exceptional academic achievement, leadership and his community involvement. He is President for Everybody’s Business Club, member of the Chamber Student Network and Public Policy Committee. Marty said, “My connections with the chamber have advanced my ability to speak to new people and generate great possibilities.”
• Alex Rodriguez; Front Range Community College-Boulder County. Alex is a member of the leadership team for the Chamber Student Network. He recently started his own moving company business, Let’s Get Moving.

The Chamber’s commitment to building strong community partnerships has a positive impact on student success. We are collaborating with FRCC and Innovate Longmont’s Innovate Campus accelerator to help local entrepreneurs, including students, achieve their dreams of launching businesses. Our Chamber continues to mentor Chamber Student Network students to help them build meaningful connections. We help students make connections that equip them with real-world applications and skills valued in the workforce including critical thinking, civic responsibility, workplace ethics, effective communication, and professionalism. Every year we see firsthand how these connections benefit our students through job placements, internships, and business launches. We also see firsthand how these connections benefit our business community.

This crisis has changed the way we live, work, play, and learn. Change has accelerated, and it is not likely to slow down. We are reminded that this is a marathon, not a sprint to recovery. We are all in this together. Education is vital for business and business is vital for education. Our Chamber has a rich history of providing opportunities for students. We will continue to facilitate meaningful connections and celebrate our successes no matter what the future brings.

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 and to everyone who played a role in student success!

Stay tuned for the next Pillar discussion.

Dr. Chris McGilvray
Chair, Board of Directors of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce