THE CHAMBER’S 2017 CHAIRMAN DAVID B. REED IS READY TO WORK WITH LEADERS AND MEMBERS TO IDENTIFY ISSUES, FIND SOLUTIONS AND BUILD AN EVEN BETTER MONTGOMERY WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF.
The 2017 Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board of Directors is an engineer by trade and as such he likes to see concrete things – things that are built. “You like to see accomplishments,” said David B. Reed, the new Chamber chairman, who is executive vice president at Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood and chairman of the firm’s board of directors. “You want to look out and see the highway or the road or the bridge or the bike trail or whatever you’re trying to achieve. Something to put your hand on and other people can put their hands on. Something that is lasting.”
His engineer hat means that Reed is well versed in identifying problems and solving them. That will come in handy because there are some really big issues on the Chamber’s plate this year.
Reed has been at Montgomery-based Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. for 33 years. As one of the Southeast’s largest privately held architecture and engineering firms, it is also one of the oldest. In addition to his personal commitment to his home area, Reed brings the company’s core belief in community collaboration and in using creativity to make a positive difference to bear on behalf of the Chamber, its members and our region as a whole.
WHERE THE PLANS BEGIN:
- Progress in Public Education
ALL the children of Montgomery deserve a quality education. Failing schools are not acceptable.
- Partnership
Our ability to succeed in economic development is built on the strong partnerships we have between the public and private sectors. We need to build on that strength.
- Perceptions
Montgomery’s image hasn’t kept pace with our development. We’ve got to tell Montgomery’s story to the world. We have one of four internet exchanges in the Southeast, and no one knows it.
- Prosperity
We’ve got to create jobs and a quality of place that build a more prosperous future for the entire region.
That’s plenty to keep the Montgomery native busy this year, but he also spoke about his sensitivity “to the Greater River Region,” which stretches beyond Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore counties. “If you look at the traffic in the morning, it’s coming into Montgomery,” Reed said from his company’s corporate headquarters at the Lakeview Center in East Montgomery. “Montgomery is the generator of wealth for a great number of people. Everybody that is involved in this economic biosphere that we have for Montgomery, I consider friends, relatives, neighbors.”
And speaking of people, Reed praised the diversity and lauded the quality of capital city citizens, who are obviously vital to any successes the community will achieve. “We need to celebrate and recognize the diversity in the community,” he said. “I want us to think about what we have in common, and our commonality is what makes us a community.” He said that “we’ve got great people here – black, white, Korean. Montgomery is completely filled with people of all races, colors and ages that are just incredible and so talented.”
One of his ultimate goals is “making this community the best it can be and (have) the people that live in this community love living here; be proud of living here; want to talk to people around the country and around the state of being from Montgomery and being proud of it. That’s what I see as one of the ultimate goals of the Chamber.”
Reed, who grew up in South Montgomery and Autauga County, said he is “intimidated” following in the Chamber Chairman footsteps of such luminaries as Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, Jerry Kyser, Mac McLeod, Leslie Sanders, Rod Frazer, Jimmy Lowder, Steve Cawood and so many others. “I don’t personally see myself anywhere near their level,” he said. “They are people that I’ve always had the greatest respect for. In my case, you feel fairly inadequate when you look at the quality of the individuals that have filled that post, but I’m going to try my best.” He does know that the Chamber staff, which he called “extremely professional,” will guide and direct him.
What will a successful year look like? “We’re going to have an improved education system,” he said. “We’re going to have a military that is moving forward and appreciated. I would like to see more jobs. I would like to see people feeling good about Montgomery.”
