Livonia and Westland Combine to Form One Chamber of Commerce

Livonia and Westland will share one chamber of commerce in a strategic alignment that will give the business community from two of Michigan's largest cities more opportunities and a bigger voice. The new partnership was announced on October 11 in Westland and brings together the business communities from the 9th and 10th largest cities in Michigan. The Livonia-Westland Chamber of commerce will serve a combined population of 180,000 residents and roughly 6,800 businesses.

Dan West, president and CEO of the Livonia Chamber of Commerce since 2006, will hold the same title in the newly aligned organization, which will be governed by a 29-member board of directors with representatives from both communities. West says that uniting the two cities under one chamber provides more resources for networking events, advocacy, and programing to support local businesses and organizations. "Together, it gives us more of a business voice. We have five state reps now in this service area, two state senators, two mayors, two school districts, two community college schools districts; there are a lot of voices and resources that we can provide now for our members. Overall, when you have a bigger chamber, you provide more of an audience for networking events and programming," he says.

"This will give members in our community more programming, which aligns with the feedback we received during a recent survey of our members," said Danielle Strachan, board chairperson of the Westland Chamber of Commerce. "Livonia's experienced staff and resources will be connected to the untapped potential of the Westland business community." The initial four-person chamber staff have a combined for nearly 50 years of industry experience.

"We are still focused on the three big picture goals that we've had for several years. Those are regional collaboration, building the future workforce, and growing a culture of inclusion," says West. Regional collaboration involves building relationships with neighboring chambers, municipalities, and school districts.

West says that when considering building the future workforce, many do not consider that a four-year degree is necessary only for certain professions, including medicine, engineering, law, and business management roles. "A majority of future jobs don't require anything more than an associate degree. We've been trying to get young people to realize that there are plenty of great jobs and careers for you if you get a post-secondary certificate or associate degree. That is what our number one economic development issue is-the availability of talent. So we've been really trying to advance that issue and trying to make being in the skilled and technical trades more appealing to young people and particularly, to parents," he says.

To promote a culture of inclusion, West says taking a judgement-free, curious interest in others and how they think and feel can go a long way in helping people feel connected and welcome in the workplace, the neighborhood, and even at chamber events. He adds that the chamber has been dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion since 2016.

West is optimistic about the success of the newly combined chambers and the impact it will have on businesses and organizations in western Wayne County. He adds, "Going forward, we know we've got to take our time and build the relationships one by one in Westland to prove that this is not a Livonia versus Westland thing, this is a shared business community now and that's where our focus is and where our board's focus is. We treasure everyone's success and we're going to try our best to tell the good stories about all our business going on in both communities." Find out more about the Livonia Westland Chamber of Commerce at http://www.livonia.org.