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What We Do How We Do It Why It Matters By The Numbers In Action: Military Matters
September MBJ - HomeThe Chamber’s External Affairs department oversees education and workforce development initiatives; military affairs; and governmental relations at all levels. Sheron Rose leads these efforts, and she shared the need-to-know info on what she and her team bring to the table and why its impact is important.
WHAT WE DO: The department works to enhance governmental relations with the local, state and federal delegations and advocates for business issues locally and on a federal level. We maintain working relationships to further advance workforce development efforts by often functioning as a liaison between the business community and our education leaders, connecting them to implement initiatives that benefit the greater Montgomery area. We also forge and strengthen partnerships with the military to enhance those relations, so Montgomery can continue to be “The Best Hometown in the Air Force.”
HOW WE DO IT: Currently, we provide outreach and engagement programs for our elected officials; promote advocacy and business support through our state and federal legislative agendas; work hand-in-hand with education and workforce development partners to sustain a robust workforce pipeline; and we help the area sustain and expand relationships with our military presence.
WHY IT MATTERS: The community benefits from our ability to manage and maintain strong professional relationships with key business development organizations and leaders in the community. Our work fosters partnerships that will enhance the economic growth of our region. For example, our support of Montgomery Public Schools is helping create a stronger education system that can produce students prepared to go directly into the workforce, into additional educational training or enlist in the military. This means we can better meet industry/business needs. It’s also essential for the retention of jobs and the recruitment of additional jobs. All of these factors lead to an increased quality of life here.
BY THE NUMBERS: The military in Montgomery employs 68,000+ people and generates a $2.6 BILLION economic impact annually.
“Our military affairs work is focused on sustaining and growing all the military missions in the River Region, and we do that by creating an environment that more closely links all our military entities to the River Region community; coordinating and promoting innovative projects in Montgomery—with emphasis on TechMGM initiatives and growing Montgomery’s tech sector — and looking ahead to provide the workforce training, technology and infrastructure our area military needs. This work is essential. We’re home to Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, the Alabama National Guard, the Air Force Reserve, DoD contractors, the government civilians that support these organizations, as well as tens of thousands of veterans and military retirees. They all make multiple positive contributions to the River Region, and the Chamber sees them as critical to our community’s success.” – Sheron Rose