I am proud and humbled to serve as both the president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber and as a board member for the United Way of South Hampton Roads. These two roles give me a front row seat to the intersection of business and community.

For 72 years, Virginia has remained a right-to-work state, guaranteeing that no person can be required to, as a condition of employment, join or pay dues to a labor union. Virginia is one of 27 states that have passed right-to-work laws. In anticipation of the 2020 General Assembly session, it’s important to remember that keeping Virginia a right-to-work state will support the business community.

The observance began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson. It was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting Sept. 15. The monthlong observance was enacted into law Aug. 17, 1988.

WHEN THE Virginia health commissioner declared the opioid addiction crisis a public health emergency in 2016, the epidemic was wreaking havoc on families and communities across Virginia. Though many communities in the commonwealth responded with exemplary efforts by law enforcement, innovative medical practices and public education, the dimensions of the crisis were still unfolding and the economic impact was growing.

WHEN WORD bubbled up late last year that area corporate and business leaders planned to give regional branding another go, it brought forth a response that is as close to unanimous as they are likely to receive in this grand undertaking.

As a nation that has been at war for nearly 18 years, one of the most important concerns for military leaders is sustained training and readiness.  Therefore, it is no surprise that the preponderance of Department of Defense funding goes to combat readiness.   An unintended result of these budget priorities has been the shortfall of available funding for maintenance of real property at bases at home and overseas.  This reality has sparked military installation leaders to question the necessity of running such facilities as golf courses, horse stables, storage facilities, and lodging properties.  Perhaps now is the ideal time to let private companies run these operations, allowing military funding to go to improving combat readiness.

Hampton Roads is truly blessed be built on such a large foundation of military members and first responders throughout the region who each display a profound professional readiness to help the community every day. These are the local heroes who make it possible for the business community to function and thrive properly by knowing that our region is safe and protected. Through their grueling careers, they practice values that coincide with those of the Hampton Roads Chamber including excellence, selfless service, leadership, diversity, and integrity.

This is a historic year in the history of the Commonwealth.  2019 marks the 400th anniversary of events in Virginia, which continue to define America.  The founding of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown in 1619 shaped the democratic process we continue to enjoy today.  However, 2019 also marks the 400^th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans to be sold into bondage in North America.  While Hampton Roads is blessed to be filled with so much history and to be at the heart of our nation’s birth, we must recognize how the actions of our founders have left a tarnished legacy and created systemic challenges in our society that 400 years later we are still working to overcome.  In the midst of Black History Month, in the midst of a Virginia cast in horrid tumult and portrayed on a national stage for its errors and its often ugly history, the Hampton Roads Chamber sees this as a strategic turning point and a catalyst for our future.  We cannot change our history but we can and must learn from it and focus on a better future, one of equality and inclusivity.