Kelle Marsalis, president and CEO of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, talked to Invest: about workforce and leadership development as well as the importance of diversity in the community. She also addressed the changes Plano has seen in the workforce post-pandemic.
How is the Chamber navigating the current landscape?
Our position and our place in the community have always revolved around information and representation. Our primary objective is to ensure our businesses, both large and small, have the information necessary to make good decisions regarding what’s happening in the economy. This commitment remains unchanged, as we intend to facilitate meaningful conversations within the business community. Like any community, we have our share of positive aspects as well as challenges and gaps. This is where the business community’s engagement really comes in. It’s important that we all work together as a collective. Our approach can be likened to a three-legged stool with the business community, the school district and the city of Plano government. These three entities operate as a collective, and our strength lies in partnership. That’s one of the things that contributes to the strength of our community.
What are members looking for from the Chamber?
It boils down to connectivity and engagement. The pandemic caused us to retreat to our corners. We saw younger generations not engaging in office culture as much as those who had a longer runway of working in a traditional office setting prior to the pandemic. Member businesses have reached out to us for our thoughts on how to be more involved in helping young talent understand office culture, get involved in the community, engage with their coworkers in different ways and help with that process. These requests have come from both small and large businesses. Simultaneously, there have been political changes in our region. We have found ourselves compelled to step up and be what we call a “sane center”. We’re seeing more and more of a gap between some of the political views, especially in our region. We have embraced the role of being in the middle, assuming a more informative stance and helping people make better-informed decisions.
How has the role of a chamber of commerce evolved over the years?
The role of a chamber has significant transformation during my 18 years in this industry. Today, chambers are more important than they have ever been. We have an extensive role in our communities and close collaboration with our business partners all aimed at enhancing the economy and fostering the growth of our community. Our influence spans areas such as community impact, competitiveness, talent and trade, it’s all focusing on how the business community can come together and build up. Those aspects are going to be what sets chambers apart in the future as opposed to those that are just focused on more traditional networking programs.
Where do you see opportunities to improve regarding DEI in the business community for Plano and North Texas?
DEI is another aspect of chamber work that has evolved a lot over the past few years. Seeing improvement in that area comes from a strong understanding of where you are now. Gaining a better understanding of various dimensions of diversity within your community aids organizations like ours plan for enhanced inclusivity and belonging. Our objective is to ensure that people feel valued because talent is the hottest commodity. We need to take care of our people. One thing that our chamber has recognized is that diversity transcends ethnicity and gender. It encompasses factors such as disabilities, industries and age. Consequently, we must do what we can to help build a better understanding and a sense of belonging in our community.
In what ways is Plano changing?
We are seeing the most notable shifts in this post-pandemic atmosphere particularly in what is new and different in the way people work. We have a large corporate campus community here in Plano. What will it look like in five years due to hybrid work models? As bioscience and diverse industries express interest in our region, a lot of possibilities are emerging. These industries have the potential to shape and influence our community’s makeup. There is also an emergence of live-work-play hubs developing around the community. This is particularly evident in the resurgence of our historic Downtown area which is bustling. Our Downtown is impressive and currently witnessing substantial growth again. Historically much of our growth was centered on the west side for a while. Plano is geographically a very large city and we’re seeing a lot more growth and redevelopment in multiple areas as opposed to a singular newly developed area.
What are some of those business sectors you would like to see grow?
We are truly excited about the potential for growth of bioscience and medical research expanding in our community. There are some exciting developments on the horizon that are promising. This expansion could bring about positive changes. Then technology, of course, which runs at the speed of light these days. I think the more our community has a strong technical research industry sector, the more fortified our overall community becomes.
What are some upcoming projects or initiatives you are excited about?
The chamber has a new charitable foundation under our umbrella called the Plano Works Leadership Fund. We are diving deeper into leadership and workforce development. We have a fairly young working demographic because of so many larger employers in the area and a strong education system. We feel it is our duty to nurture and develop that talent and potential. The idea of making a meaningful impact in this regard is very exciting for us. Recently, we concluded a celebration highlighting 50 exemplary women leaders within our community. We are gearing up to commemorate the 40th year anniversary of our leadership program, Leadership Plano. Being able to tell the story of the people who made Plano what it is, that is something we get excited about too.
