Chamber Student Network Available To Students

by | Jan 25, 2023 | Education, Education Committee

The Chamber Student Network (also known as the CSN) is a driving force for the Longmont Community. With collaboration between Front Range Community College and the SVVSD students can gain important skills and experience to be successful in the workforce.

CSN’s mission statement is to “promote student success for our members through leadership, education, inclusion, and community involvement”. CSN members learn teamwork, integrity, honesty, professionalism, and networking skills. Additionally, students work directly with the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce to learn important business management skills and the importance of a Chamber.

With a large emphasis on the community CSN ensures to provide its students with strong connections to local businesses and organizations. Building connections between students and business professionals gives students the rare opportunity for mentorships and internships.

Students gain real world experience and practice these skills in networking events, “Round Robin” presentations, and much more! CSN ensures that its students build a strong sense of pride in the Longmont community and gather resources that will lead to future success. To learn more about CSN please contact genevieve@marketreach.solutions or kstevens@longmontchamber.org

Longmont Chamber launches new dues structure with more choices for members

by | Dec 6, 2022 | Membership, Message from the CEO

Dear Longmont Chamber members,

On behalf of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce staff and board of directors, I want to thank you for your ongoing support of our organization. Your investment in the Longmont Chamber has allowed us to act on our mission of cultivating a strong business community which we believe allows our entire community to prosper. Thanks to our more than 650 active members, the Longmont Chamber has successfully:

  • Championed legislation on matters that affect our members most, including attainable workforce housing, sales tax regulations, and transportation,
  • Served as a catalyst to expand the relationship between business and education, connecting Longmont businesses with the future workforce, and
  • Produced more than 200 events in 2022, including networking opportunities, educational sessions, and Unity in the Community, which brought together more than 5,000 people in Downtown Longmont.

In 2023, we will continue to bring our members opportunities to help grow, connect, and have your voices heard. While our mission remains the same, the Longmont Chamber is changing our approach to membership to ensure you get the fullest value from your investment.

After careful consideration, we have decided to modernize the way members invest in and engage with the Chamber. Our new membership structure provides you with the opportunity to choose a level of investment that best aligns with your needs as a business and your interest in our community. The Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce now has seven membership levels to choose from. You can review them here.

This model simplifies our membership options, allows you to decide how you want to engage with the benefits of the Chamber, and allows us to continue to provide our members with the best service possible. We are already underway with this transition, and your membership has been converted to the nearest equivalent tier. This will be reflected on your next renewal notice. If you have questions about this change, please know that I and Karen Stallard, our Membership Director, are available to talk through these changes and hear your feedback. Our doors are always open!

In the new year, Longmont Chamber will be exploring ideas to expand our offerings based on what members find most valuable. We will be taking a deep-dive into understanding and quantifying the needs of our business community. What we learn will determine the focus of our organization as we continue to fulfill the mission of our organization.

In the next 6 months, we will be publishing, revising, and monitoring responses to strategic surveys and focus groups that will help us see your business through your eyes. This process, while long, is necessary for us to build stable, sustainable solutions to address the needs of Longmont businesses.

We know the interests of our members vary depending on business size, industry, and more. For some, having a voice in advocacy is most important. Others may see the opportunity to network and advertise as most essential. Still others maybe be most interested in our focus on workforce development and addressing the shortage of skilled labor. Our discoveries in the coming months will help us further develop our membership structure into more personalized packages that will give our members more control over their benefits. 

If you have any questions about this process, or are interested in participating with our organization in the focus groups please reach out to me. We want to provide our members with the best experience possible and ensure they understand the value of their investment in our organization and the Longmont community.

Together, we can continue to create opportunities for hundreds of businesses and the thousands of people they employ to connect and grow. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to continuing our work together in the coming year.

Sincerely,
Scott Cook
CEO
Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce

Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Elected to State Leadership Position

by | Nov 29, 2022 | Advocacy Activity

Scott Cook, CEO of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce was recently elected to serve as Secretary on the Board of the Association of Colorado Chambers of Commerce (ACCC). The position takes effect in January 2023. The ACCC is a self-funded program of the Colorado Chamber that offers professional development opportunities for chamber executives.

“Local chambers of commerce represent the very heart and soul of the Colorado business community. The alliance of local chambers with the Colorado Chamber of Commerce is an important part of our strategy to ensure that the voice of business is heard from every community across our state. And since we are stronger together, ACCC provides a forum for chambers to achieve their highest level of success by providing a forum for professional development, collaboration, and the sharing best practices. Scott Cook is a valued mentor, collaborator and friend to the chamber community, and we are thrilled to have him join the ACCC board,” said Lauren Schwartz, Executive Director of the ACCC and Director of Investor Relations for the Colorado Chamber.

Cook noted, “ACCC and the Colorado Chamber are important allies to local Chambers across the state. Through our monthly meetings and annual conferences, Chamber leaders learn from each other and share ideas that can positively impact our local business communities; I am excited to serve on the board during a time when Chamber leadership needs support as we help our business communities face a number of economic challenges.”

Longmont High School Introduces P-TECH Business Pathway Program

by | Nov 17, 2022 | Education Committee

Longmont High School is gearing up for a new addition next year, the new P-TECH business pathway program! Beginning next year, Longmont high school will be offering a P-TECH program with an emphasis on business and entrepreneurship. In addition to their high school diploma, students will have the opportunity to earn a no-cost Associate of Arts degree and get a head start on their careers entering the workforce.

A large portion of the new business driven P-TECH program is the outstanding mentorship and internship opportunities students will have access too. P-TECH has partnered with the City of Longmont, the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, Front Range Community College, and many more local organizations to give students these rare opportunities. Scott Cook, the President and CEO of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce comments that he hopes, “students are introduced to a wide variety of career options that they never would have considered without the help of the P-TECH program”.

These collaborations and mentorships that students will receive provide them with workforce force development and professional experiences. The P-TECH program gives students a competitive advantage when they enter the workforce and actively prepares them for a career in business and entrepreneurship. Brandon Shaffer, SVVSD’s Community Outreach and P-TECH director explains that, “Beyond access, P-TECH prepares students through a robust workforce readiness curriculum and practical experiences with industry mentors and internships. These experiences will be infused into the curriculum from the beginning and reinforced at every opportunity”. The P-TECH program is intended to create a public-private partnership to prepare thousands of Colorado students for the high-skill jobs of the future. Read the full interview with Brandon Schaffer below.

How have you been an active member in creating the P-tech business program at Longmont High School?

We started working on the Longmont Business program in the fall of 2021. That’s when we had our first meetings with Mr. McMurry and his leadership team to brainstorm ideas around the new program.

Have you been involved in the curriculum portion of this program?

Yes, however, my role in the curriculum portion has been one of a connector. I brought the leadership team from Front Range Community College together with Mr. McMurry and his administrators to discuss the focus of the new P-TECH and to work out the details of the curriculum. Ultimately, this has been a group effort between Front Range Community College and Longmont High School.

Have you been involved in industry collaboration?

Yes, my role was to recruit industry partners to join our collaboration. I’ve met with the City of Longmont, the Longmont Chamber of Commerce, the Longmont Downtown Development Authority, the Longmont Economic Development Partnership, and the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Boulder County. All of them have agreed to collaborate with us in building this P-TECH.

How do you hope this program will impact student success during and after high school?

I’m excited about this P-TECH! Students who complete this program will have many options after graduating. This P-TECH will be built around a “guaranteed transfer” degree pathway, which means that credits earned through the program will be 100% transferable into any Colorado 4-year college or university. Students will be prepared to directly enter the workforce by the time they complete the program, AND they will have earned two years of free college. That’s pretty special.

How do you hope this program will give students a competitive advantage in the workforce?

Advanced education opens doors for employment opportunities. With the foundational skills students will learn in the P-TECH program, they will be equipped to go directly into the workforce for high-demand positions in local businesses. Beyond access, P-TECH prepares students through a robust workforce readiness curriculum and practical experiences with industry mentors and internships. These experiences will be infused into the curriculum from the beginning and reinforced at every opportunity. Students will gain insights into the professional world that will give them a competitive advantage in the workforce.

How will community involvement and collaboration benefit students while participating in the P-tech program?

Community involvement is essential to the experiential learning aspect of the program. Students will “learn by doing” while engaged in P-TECH. The robust curriculum and instruction from FRCC will provide the knowledge base to explore new opportunities. Through our industry partners, students will be exposed to a variety of disciplines around the community.

How are you connecting FRCC to the P-tech program in order to create curriculum materials, support materials for students, and professional development opportunities?

FRCC is an essential partner in this new endeavor. While the program is physically located at Longmont High School, FRCC has prescribed the curriculum for the program, and several of its instructors will teach P-TECH classes. FRCC will also provide counseling and support to students. Students are enrolled in FRCC when they are in the 9th grade and have access to all the amenities and services provided to any other FRCC student.

How are you planning on ensuring mentorships, internships, and job placement opportunities for students?

Our counselors will work closely with industry partners to identify mentorships and internship opportunities. The mentorships start when students enter the 9th grade. Our industry partners will recruit mentors and they will be matched with students through Longmont High’s counseling office. Internships will be available to students following their junior year. We will work with industry partners to identify appropriate educational experiences and structure real-world internships for our students during the summer.

About the Author
Sienna Arellano is the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce Education Committee intern. She is a sophomore at Niwot High School. Sienna belongs to several computer science tech teams at the Innovation Center as Computer Science and Cyber Security is her passion. She loves to travel, play volleyball, tennis, and participate in any Longmont community activities or local events.