by Monique Funk

Amid a room filled with over 400 Flagstaff Chamber members, Carol Hallett of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Speaker of the House Kirk Adams, and Arizona Chamber of Commerce President Glen Hamer, delivered a message of hope and optimism to the city’s influential entrepreneurs and business leaders.

With a focus on local empowerment, Hallett reminded attendees that the voice of small business owners like members of the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce have the power to help turn this country around. Inspired by a message of free enterprise and the American dream, Flagstaff’s business leaders were invited to work alongside the U.S. Chamber and all of its members − small and large business across the country − to get involved in the American Free Enterprise. Dream Big. campaign

It was encouraging to see that Hallett’s message of bipartisan cooperation to create 20 million jobs in the next decade is being embraced by Arizona’s leaders, including Speaker Adams, Glen Hammer, and Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO Julie Pastrick. Their dedication, commitment to free enterprise, and willingness to work together for the common good of our nation’s future inspired me and the other attendees at the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting.

At the closing of the program, several business owners and community leaders expressed their appreciation for the Chamber’s leadership in working to create a stronger economy on local, state, and national levels. In a time when the economy is down and business owners are becoming discouraged, the message of hope and empowerment communicated at the Flagstaff Chamber’s annual meeting was truly inspiring.

Monique Funk is the Development Director for the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce