A message to the Business Community and those we serve

June 8, 2020

​A message to the business community and those we serve:

Recent events around the country reinforce what we know: Inequality and violence tears apart communities and we must do better.

The Eau Claire Area Chamber values diversity and practices inclusion within our membership. For the continued advancement of these efforts, we champion equal access and equity of opportunity through the intentional inclusion of all. Further, we encourage and provide leadership and resources to our membership of chamber professionals and the community.  However, it will take leadership at every level – national, state, local, community, and citizen – to move forward in an inclusive and productive way.

Our community has rallied to support and care for one another but again, there is no doubt we must do better. The Chamber acknowledges that unconscious bias and prejudices help to create structural impediments to systemic change. Furthermore, we pledge to build on our work supporting economic growth across the Chippewa Valley. We will lead with civility, justice, and an intentional approach to delivering systemic change.

In July 2016, the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Diversity & Inclusion Task Force was formed with this goal in mind:
To share information and learn best practices about diversity, inclusion and minority business development to improve our workforce.

The task force will continue to carry out its mission by doing the following:

• Leverage members’ combined experience and knowledge to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion programs and practices throughout professions.
• Provide business members with access to information, individuals and ideas that will help them build more economically and socially inclusive organizations.
• Become a forum to discuss new diversity and inclusion ideas and initiatives.
  
  

The Eau Claire Area Chamber recognizes the key role the business community must play in bringing about sustained change. To that end we have signed onto the U.S. Chamber National Initiative on Inequality of Opportunity, we will engage by driving work in our local community to improve the equality of opportunity. We invite you to join us.

David Minor
President/CEO