Michael Jacobson, President & CEO, Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce
Invest: was joined by Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, to discuss the role the organization plays in the city’s economic development, with an emphasis on diversity and small business. “One of our core values is taking diverse businesses, people, and organizations and aligning them to collaborate,” he said.
How does the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce contribute to the economic development of the region?
All the chambers in the Dallas-Fort Worth region work together when it comes to economic development and public policy, and Arlington is a willing participant. What Arlington brings to the table includes a strength in manufacturing, along with sports and entertainment. But there are a lot of active small businesses that we engage to make our community better. Arlington has a mix that is unique, and what we do well is that we can bring our community together to speak in one voice. One of our core values is taking diverse businesses, people, and organizations and aligning them to collaborate, with a focus on making Arlington the best community it can possibly be.
How is the Chamber helping create a more diverse business community in Arlington?
The long-term opportunity is making sure our business community reflects our population. Our chamber is incredibly focused on reaching out to all the businesses located in Arlington to make sure there is a welcome mat with programs to support the growth of all businesses. We want everyone to feel that they can engage and have a greater influence. Chambers do have sales people that go out and find businesses to become members, but we are better served when who we are acts as a magnet that attracts all businesses. That’s why dialing in that culture is so important because it has such a long-term resonance. While we do have business councils that reflect the diversity of Arlington, we do not create silos. Instead we recognize and celebrate what is unique and at the same time bring together all our members for their mutual benefit. As our tagline says, “Together, We Succeed.” In that way, I’m very proud of how our Chamber has diversified over the past seven years.
What are the industries you expect to grow the most in Arlington?
I’m expecting growth in advanced manufacturing, including aerospace manufacturing. Distribution and logistics have exploded over the past five years. Our proximity in the region, state and the country positions us so well. We will see more growth in business startups and entrepreneurism, which is an area we continue to work on. Hospitality has been a huge economic anchor in Arlington for a long time and we’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth over the past six years and I can only see that momentum continuing.
What has been on the Chamber’s advocacy agenda?
In the most recent legislative session, we made sure to have all the tools necessary from an economic development standpoint. We had a big win with the establishment of a program that supports capital intensive industries as they invest in Texas. Workforce development was also a winner, with greater investment in our community college system and a new focus on skills creation for the jobs our economy is creating. Ultimately, we are making sure our community has the workers needed to fill jobs in an environment that will foster economic development. This includes mitigating cost, reducing unnecessary regulations, and investing in infrastructure.The goal is to be shovel and workforce ready when someone wants to develop.
What’s next for the Chamber?
We just kicked off a campaign called ‘Keep It Local’ to support our local businesses. While there is nothing wrong with on-line shopping, we need to make sure we don’t shop online at the expense of local businesses. Our program is designed to help the community understand what local opportunities are available to them and how important it is to support your local businesses. We kicked-off our program on July 4. Arlington has one of the largest parades for the holiday with approximately 100,000 attendees. We had over 100 local businesses march in the parade with banners marketing their businesses. The energy created on that day was the perfect launch for a new program that is one of our top priorities.
