Abacoa & Alton Neighbors December 2020

In March of 2017, the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce developed a Strategic Plan for the Palm Beach North Region. This plan brought together the community and industry to commit to a shared purpose and strategic imperatives. These imperatives are a Prosperous Economy, High Quality of Life, Smart and Connected Region and Regional Leadership. The Economic Development Committee (EDC) was formed to focus on these imperatives. The EDC, chaired by Chip Armstrong, has sub-committees for Smart and Connected Region, Logistics Initiative, Essential Workforce Housing, Disaster Resiliency and Recovery, and Environmental Sustainability. A “smart and connected region” leverages new technologies, from wireless communications to big data to artificial intelligence, to transform the way we live, learn, and work. The Chamber with its municipal partners were awarded a grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to produce a Smart and Connected Strategic Plan. The Plan identified challenges and two project concepts were developed to help the region address these challenges: - Real-time workforce data system; and One-stop business development. With the objective to “create a real-time information system to share data on employer needs, available workforce skills, and education and training programs”. The Chamber has an agreement with UrbanSDK to develop an open data and performance management platform to achieve this project concept. To fund this data platform, the chamber has made application for a Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. This share platform will have the ability to be expanded to include mobility data, housing data, resiliency data and sustainability data. Environmental Sustainability and Economic Prosperity can, and should, go hand in hand! With this conviction, the Sustainability Sub-Committee of the Economic Development Committee, led by Chelsea Reed as Chair, developed the mission of establishing and recommending environmental health and sustainability best practices for our Chamber members. She is proud to serve with Mr. Armstrong, leaders in local and national sustainability, and elected officials from the Chamber’s municipalities. Providing actionable information to our members and community through our website, and with knowledgeable speakers, delivers enriched benefit to Chamber members. We bring access and understanding of sustainability in business, needed education linking sustainability and economic success, and allow for dialogue between elected officials regarding governmental initiatives. We highlight forward-thinking pioneers who provide compelling arguments for sustainability and policy initiatives that specifically help businesses. Our municipalities and all industries are eyeing existing opportunities and technologies for sustainably, and our hope is to be the link between these benefits and economic prosperity. Whether planning infrastructure changes or updating existing small businesses, this subcommittee connects industry peers for the greater good. Our planned Earth Day Event and ‘Environmental Champion of the Year’ Award are on hold until we are safe to celebrate in person. For now, we will continue to share our best practice resources within the Chamber’s website https:// www.pbnchamber.com/sustainability-sub-committee/ lay ered with dynamic sustainability initiatives taking place within local businesses and in our community. North County members and companies focused on a prosperous economy, high quality of life, smart and connected communities and regional leadership, can find it all addressed in our Economic Development Committee and with the Sustainability Subcommittee. If you are interested in joining the Chamber and engaging with the Economic Development Committee or the Sustainability Subcommittee, please contact Whitney West at Whitney@pbnchamber.com. Economic Development, Quality of Life and Environmental Sustainability ARE TOP PRIORITIES OF PALM BEACH NORTH’S CHAMBER OF COMMERCE By Chip Armstrong, Chair of the Economic Development Committee and Chelsea Reed, Chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee COMMUNITY NEWS Whitney West, PBN Chamber Chelsea Reed, Chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee Chip Armstrong, Chair of the Economic Development Committee 20 Abacoa &Alton N E I G H B O R S | D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 0