National chamber executive tells Boise chamber to step up 

The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce should become a catalyst to turn around the local economy, a national chamber executive said.

Mick Fleming, president and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, which supports the 1,500 chambers of commerce around the country, pointed to a long history of chambers stepping in when times were tough during his keynote speech at the Boise chamber’s 123^rd annual meeting today.

The Atlantic City chamber of commerce helped organize the Miss America pageant to give the city a tourism boost, the Houston chamber was a strong backer to build a port in the land-locked city and the Boston chamber helped quell a devastating police strike, he said.

But he said it’s not just ancient history.

“It’s happening right now,” he said.

The chamber in Santa Ana, Calif., helped start an academy to teach students and aspiring workers English to meet the needs of Orange County employers. The chambers in Baton Rouge, La., and Iowa City, Iowa, helped their cities cope and rebuild after natural disasters. The chamber in Destin, Fla., known for its white sand beaches, launched a project to rehabilitate eroded beaches with new white sand.

“Whatever chambers have to do, whatever challenges there are, they get it done,” he said.

Fleming also said the Treasure Valley may be in a better position “almost more than anyplace else” with a well-educated population, a history of growth, plentiful resources and a low cost of doing business.

“This is our time whether we like it, whether it’s cool or easy or hard,” he said. “We have to deal with it.”

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