Leadership Today participants have rich experiences

Leadership Today participants have rich experiences

On April 7, the Board of Directors of the Fairfield Suisun Chamber of Commerce held its annual retreat, in preparation for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Anand Patel, the incoming chairman, presided over this two-day event. Attending were the returning members of the Board, along with two new directors.

In response to the changing economic climate and issues facing local businesses, the Chamber expects to become the super power in its support and representation of its member businesses. In coming months, find out how you can be a part of the Chamber’s progress, open-mindedness, the windowof opportunity, the exchange of information, and the retention of local businesses.

One of the early discussions of great interest and significance related to the Leadership Today Program sponsored by the Fairfield Suisun City Chamber of Commerce. Leadership Today provides a broad view of civic leadership through direct contact with the spectrum of institutions and people that keep Fairfield-Suisun on the move. Participants in Leadership Today are exposed to the art and culture of our history, the role of Travis Air Force Base in our local and national economy, local officials and politicians, the criminal justice system, education (from childhood through post-graduate studies), health care, social services and issues facing small and large businesses in today’s economy.

Many of the members of the Board of Directors who represent local businesses sponsored one or more employees in Leadership Today. Each was asked why his or her business chose to sponsor an employee in Leadership Today. The responses were similar: the need to identify, educate and train the next generation of leaders who will succeed and take the place of the current leadership in our local and regional communities.

Sitting around the table, listening to others, I realized that their comments echo those of many of my business clients – the need for succession planning, planning for the next generation of the business owners. As it is with community organizations, it is never too early to start educating, cultivating and positioning the younger generation to take over the management of a family owned business.

If you are a business owner, consider supporting and sponsoring a younger member of your business in Leadership Today. You will be contributing not only to the success of your business but also to the success of your community.

One of the perks of being a community leader/volunteer was on display two weeks ago at the NorthBay Medical Center. On April 7, as a member of the Board of Directors of NorthBay Healthcare Foundation, I was invited to the unveiling of NorthBay’s new, state-of-the-art cardiovascular operating room.

Known as the NorthBay Health and Vascular Center, it incorporates the latest surgical techniques, including socalled “beating heart surgery” during which the surgeon repairs a heart while it continues to pump blood to the body. In the past, too many local patients each year have been required to travel outside the county to other hospitals for cardiac care. Understandably, time and distance is often a matter of life and death. To address this issue, NorthBay Healthcare made a significant financial investment in its new surgical suite, the most sophisticated in the region.

The guided tour of the surgical suite was billed as the one and only time that I could be inside the operating room in a “vertical position.” It was an amazing experience heightened by the impressive display of modern technology at its best. I hope that I never find myself in the surgery suite in a “horizontal position” – but, if I
do, I know that I will receive the best treatment that medical science has to offer!

Another benefit to community involvement is access to information critical to the continued economic revival of our community. As chairman of the Board of Directors of Solano Economic Development Corporation, I recently learned that its President, Mike Ammann, will be working with the Bay Area Council Economic
Institute and other key regional partners to develop a Bay Area Economic Recovery work plan. This work plan will be used by the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, along with other state agencies, to facilitate decision making regarding the allocation of federal stimulus funds available through the state, and other funds allocated by the state for economic development purposes.

It will also be used to support decision making regarding regulatory and policy measures that may streamline
the flow of these funds to communities, such as Solano County, and the implementation of longer-term strategies to enhance state and regional economic competitiveness.

The appointment of Mike Ammann of Solano EDC is significant in its recognition of the growing importance and impact of Solano County in the Bay Area and, in particular, the role that Solano EDC plays in economic development in the North Bay area.

Thus, our County will have a voice in the allocation process for federal stimulus funds passing through the state – and, thus, will have a better chance of some of those funds being directed to this county.

Next month will be my last column as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fairfield-Suisun City Chamber of Commerce. In that column, I will summarize the accomplishments of your Board Directors and staff this year – and then will look forward to the messages of your new Chairman, Anand Patel.