JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023 EDITION
9720 Capital Ct, Suite 203 Manassas, VA 20110 703-368-6600
CHAMBER NEWSLETTER CALENDAR JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023 EDITION
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS IN 2023 Bob Sweeney, President & CEO Prince William Chamber of Commerce I’m certain you’ve heard the question, “Is your glass half full or half empty?” It’s also quite possible that you have heard the follow up to that which is, “It doesn’t matter if it’s full or empty because you should be grateful you have a glass.” Valid point, right? In the midst of surviving a global pandemic, I want us to remember we have a glass. Forget whether it’s full or empty- just focus on having a glass. If you have one, it’s a good day. Heck, it’s a great day! So much has been taken from all of us, but we still have a glass — and that’s amazing. It’s also worth focusing on for expressing gratitude. Rest assured: Debbie Jones is leaving us a Chamber that is financially sound and has a team bursting at the seams ready to do great things. There are real opportunities to advance the Chamber in 2023 and beyond. I have worked alongside the staff for 30 days, and I know we are lucky to have assembled this crew. I have met, individually, with each staff member and now it’s up to me to harness their collective power and motivate them to achieve greatness. If you ever took a business class in college, I am sure you remember Jack Welch who said, “By reaching for what appears to be impossible, we often actually do the impossible.” Looking forward, I see a team that is as diverse as the Prince William Business community. We have the opportunity to fill our open and new positions with colleagues that can help us get to the next level as a Chamber. I have talked to many in our community over the past month, and I have heard them. There is huge opportunity in figuring out who is missing from this membership and why, then formulate a strategy to bring them into membership with us. We are going to launch our Foundation in 2023. The bones are there; the legal and governance work is very close; now it’s the fun stuff around strategy, vision, mission, and goals… if you’re interested in partnering, I am open to hear you! The Executive committee and I are itching to begin this new chapter now! We look forward to adding meaningful, thoughtful, events that will inspire our community to grow. Speaking with fellow community members, there is interest in creating more focused events, such as a Women in Leadership event. Women in leadership play unique roles, and this event would help bring together motivational and tested best practices for Leadership by and for women. An exploratory committee is being formed in January, and if you are interested in participating, please reach out to me. As a Chamber, you will have a new foundation, events, President and CEO, CFO, and a new Government Affairs approach. What opportunity does this situation beg? I feel it’s the right time to talk about and begin BACKGROUND PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE BLACK WHITES PHOTOGRAPHY
to explore a new brand identity and all a new brand entails. To wrap up, we must remember that if we have a glass, we will once again be able to fill it! Today, I am encouraging you, as the Prince William Chamber, to place a glass somewhere in your office to symbolically remind you that our strength comes from knowing we have a glass —that’s all we need to start.
www.PWChamber.org 9720 Capital Court, Ste. 203 Manassas, VA 20110
Bob Sweeney, President & CEO Prince William Chamber of Commerce