Michael Gallops, President & CEO, Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce
The Metrocrest Chamber has the greatest advantage in attracting businesses from all over: the fact that it is located in Texas, said president and CEO Michael Gallops in an interview with Invest:. “Texas is ahead of everybody in everything. In the workforce and jobs, our unemployment rate is lower than everybody else’s. Texas is just a great place to be,” he said.
What have been the significant milestones or achievements for the Metrocrest Chamber during the last year?
I’ve been with the Metrocrest Chamber for about nine and a half months now. Early on, about six weeks into my tenure, we absorbed the membership of the Farmers Branch Chamber when it dissolved. This included around 200 members which significantly expanded our membership. This consolidation was a major milestone for us and a sign of our continued growth.
We’ve also seen impressive membership growth this year and have been involved in several significant events. In January, we partnered with the city of Farmers Branch to host its State of the City, which was an exciting opportunity. We also organized an Economic Development Summit featuring speakers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the Texas Workforce Commission, and updates from the economic development directors of our three cities. These events reflect the Chamber’s commitment to fostering growth and collaboration within our community.
In what ways are you seeing the local market changing and what strategies are you implementing to attract new members?
The cities and their economic development folks are working hard to bring in new businesses. Envision Dallas recently moved out of Dallas into Farmers Branch. Another large company called LiquidStack recently moved into the Carrollton area. There have been lots of others as well and the chamber is creating new programs to help. The chamber in the past has been event-driven, and event-heavy, so we have started creating programs where we’re focusing on advocacy for our members at the local and state level. And of course, partnering with the U.S. Chamber and other organizations that advocate at the federal level.
We’ve begun focusing heavily on developing a comprehensive workforce and talent development program. A top priority for many of our employers is addressing the need for an entry-level workforce. While schools and community colleges are doing an excellent job of educating and training students, equipping them with certificates and skills, our role will be to step in and help bridge the gap between education and real-world employment. We’ll focus on preparing them for the transition into adult life and the workforce.
In addition to this, we are also in the process of establishing a Manufacturers and Distributors Association for the Northwest portion of Dallas County. This will serve as a platform to support businesses in these sectors, fostering collaboration and addressing industry-specific challenges.
What programs are focused on the manufacturing sector?
Manufacturing is a lot more than just assembly line work. There’s a need for IT departments, financial departments and legal departments. As part of a boot camp scenario, we’ll bring students in and help them become aware of what else is out there. We’re also working on creating mentorship and paid internship programs, where these students will have an opportunity to get out in the workforce. We may even set up some pre-apprenticeship programs so that students go beyond that internship or that mentorship and come on board as apprentices. We’re looking at a full scope of offerings focused primarily on high school and early college students.
We’re also looking at how we can create partnerships for upskilling and reskilling current employees. One of our larger manufacturing companies has said that it hires employees without a high school education for entry-level work. But if those employees want to advance in that company, they need to have a high school diploma or a GED. We’re making the connections with Dallas College, and Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, which both have GED programs, to help these employees upskill just at that level so that they can advance in their careers.
How do you manage working with the three cities in your chamber group?
It’s interesting because the three cities are different from each other. Their economic development goals and plans are different. Their city councils are different. Their staff are different. I joke that some days I feel tripolar because I’m three different people working with three different organizations. But these three cities work well together. Another local city that works well with them, and with us, is Coppell. The three cities plus Coppell came together a few years ago and established the North Texas Emergency Communications Center, which is its emergency communication center.
What are the benefits of the Dallas suburban market in comparison to other regions?
The greatest advantage is that we’re in Texas, and business is good in Texas. It doesn’t get any better. Forty-nine other states all want to be Texas. Texas is ahead of everybody in everything. In the workforce and jobs, our unemployment rate is lower than everybody else’s. Texas is a great place to be and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the best part of Texas, as far as I’m concerned.
What are your top priorities for the next two to three years?
My top priority is growth and continuing to partner with our cities to bring in new businesses and to help the businesses that are here expand. Creation of new programs and activities is going to be impactful. The Manufacturers and Distributors Association we’re going to create will help us grow by addressing the needs of manufacturers who aren’t generally chamber members. Manufacturing companies don’t need networking, but there are other things that they do need, and bringing them together with other manufacturers and partners can help address those needs.
I believe that as a chamber, we’re catalysts, conveners, and champions. We’re a catalyst for business growth. We’re a convener of leaders and influencers and people who get things done, and we’re a champion for a stronger community. All of these programs will help us continue to do that. Everything that we do, we do with the bottom line of growing and supporting our business community.
