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CELEBRATING THE INDEPENDENCE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S CENTENNIAL
ANNIVERSARY
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HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Independence Chamber of Commerce on one hundred years of support and advocacy for local businesses across Independence, Missouri. For an entire century, the Independence Chamber of Commerce has nurtured the entrepreneurial spirit that serves as the economic backbone of my district.
President Harry Truman, born and raised in Independence, emphatically believed that ``America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.'' For one hundred years, the Independence Chamber of Commerce has given local business leaders the tools to be courageous and imaginative, along with the determination necessary to succeed. The Chamber represents over five hundred businesses in Independence, each doing their part to make a difference in the lives of their friends and neighbors. Every year, the Chamber's incredible staff and Board of Directors organize nearly two hundred events, from roundtable discussions with burgeoning business leaders, to seminars with professionals on how to grow new enterprises. These business-centered events bolster the economic mainstays of a proud and historic community. However, the Chamber's extensive catalog of events engages with all sorts of communities. Its organization and sponsorship of events like the annual Halloween parade, a weekly Foodie Friday that promotes local restaurants, and the SantaCaliGon Days Festival bring joy and warm memories to those fortunate enough to call Independence home. And as the current public health crisis continues to pose unprecedented challenges and difficult decisions to small businesses, the Independence Chamber of Commerce has risen to meet the moment. It has reimagined how to help local businesses and continues to serve as a vital resource for those navigating the narrow waters between a struggling economy and a lethal virus. Additionally, the Chamber's concerted effort to spread awareness about various COVID-19 relief funds has been the difference, for many family-owned businesses, between surviving a difficult year and being forced to close. In short, the Chamber's work has ensured that President Truman's hometown continues to grow and prosper.
However, the Chamber's work extends far beyond Independence city limits. Its annual lobbying day in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C. helps promote the policies necessary for robust business growth and economic development not only in the great state of Missouri, but across the entire country. And as this year has placed a renewed and long-overdue emphasis on community-owned broadband service, affordable quality housing, and neighborhood inclusivity, the Chamber has been an effective advocate for many of the issues that inspired me to run for City Council, for Mayor, and then for Congress. Through their advocacy, the Chamber has initiated and supported several infrastructure development and neighborhood revitalization projects that have benefitted a broad coalition of communities. It recognizes that policies that are good for hardworking individuals in all kinds of communities are also good for businesses, and I look forward to our continued partnership as we support Missouri families. But as I mentioned, it is not just the Chamber's policies, but also its presence, that have tangible positive effects on the district I represent.
With every educational seminar, a small business owner gains an opportunity to innovate and incorporate new ways to grow their business. With every networking event, the Chamber connects leaders who can collaborate and form symbiotic partnerships that benefit all of us. With every ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony, the Chamber offers a business the vital publicity and web of support needed to grow and succeed. Running a business is hard. But for one hundred years, the Independence Chamber has made it easier for the aspirational among us to capitalize on the same entrepreneurial spirit that made the American economy the envy of the world.
Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in congratulating the current and former staff members who have organized the daily activities of the Independence Chamber of Commerce, as well as all the past and present members of the Chamber's Board of Directors, who have served as dutiful stewards of this thriving organization. The Independence Chamber of Commerce has brought together entrepreneurs and served as a stalwart of growth and resiliency for the past one hundred years. I have no doubt that they will continue this important work over the next century and beyond.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 12
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