Local chambers of commerce know their communities better than anyone else. That’s why the PA Chamber of Business and Industry values and trusts our local chamber allies to communicate the issues and challenges that face their area businesses as we advocate for their best interests in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.  Since he started in June, PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein has prioritized visiting local chambers statewide to understand what knits each community together and determine ways we can work together to move Pennsylvania forward.

When the comprehensive tax reform package, including the Corporate Net Income tax reduction from 9.99 to 4.99 percent, got enacted this summer, Luke and our team visited the York Economic Development Alliance and the Lancaster Chamber in a celebration of bipartisan collaboration between local chambers, lawmakers of both parties, and the Wolf administration. More recently, Luke has held meet-and-greets with chambers in western Pennsylvania, Erie, Philadelphia, and central Pennsylvania. And, he spoke at the LEAD Conference, an annual gathering of multiple northeast Pennsylvania regional chambers of commerce; the Carlisle Chamber’s Annual Meeting; and provided a comprehensive legislative update at the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals Conference in Gettysburg.

This is just the beginning! As we continue to traverse our great Commonwealth, we’re embracing a “leadership through partnerships” philosophy that is focused on working together to enact policies that will make our Commonwealth stand out as the best place for investment, job growth, and economic opportunity. This comes by speaking with one voice to tout our numerous assets – vast natural resources; proximity to much of the nation’s population with quick access to interstates, railways, airports, and ports; world-class healthcare facilities; the hardest working people; and an education and skills training system to encourage them to live, work, and stay here.

We’ve worked together when it counts, through good times and bad—including the pandemic, when we banded together. The PA Chamber hosted webinars week after week with state leaders who helped you understand the ins-and-outs of ever-changing regulations and mandates as you worked to keep your doors open. Now that we’re on the cusp of a bright new tomorrow, we recognize what former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill once famously said—“All politics is local.” We’re recommitting to make our local chambers’ needs top of mind as we move forward with the shared mission of creating the strong, safe, and economically vibrant communities we all deserve.