Economic development, meetings and events, education – attracting businesses and individuals to Montgomery and the River Region touches on many different areas. How to “sell” MGM varies depending on the audience – who you're looking to bring. But somehow all these efforts work together to make Montgomery an attractive destination. Each part of the puzzle is connected.
In order to build competitive regional talent, the Chamber is undertaking a number of initiatives, including capitalizing on changes in the State’s Regional Workforce Council System. The Chamber intends to ensure that the new AL Region 5 Workforce Council has a strong focus and staffing addressing the needs of the greater Montgomery area.
Additionally, the Chamber is working from the ground up, so to speak, in a cooperative effort with Montgomery Public Schools to focus attention on performance and to create a positive perception among parents and students that career tech is a viable and lucrative path to success. In the realm of higher education, the Montgomery Chamber also has partnered with our local university Colleges of Business to develop an experiential learning program that meets the needs of both our small business community and local university students.
There also are a number of efforts to keep young professionals engaged in Montgomery’s workforce. In 2010, the Chamber established the Emerge and Torchbearers programs, targeted at retaining and attracting young professionals, in partnership with Leadership Montgomery. In the next five years more than 283 young leaders will graduate as Torchbearers and some 200 YP’s each year engage through Emerge.
