2022 was an incredible year for Lincoln. I am extremely proud of the work of the Lincoln business community and our team at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. Together, we made a significant impact on our community, including expanding our workforce development and talent retention efforts, announcing new programming for the women of Lincoln’s business community, applauding our outstanding young professionals at the Lincoln Young Professionals Group’s Young Lincoln Leader Awards and honoring the best of Lincoln business at our 27th annual Celebrate Business Awards Luncheon in December.
Reflecting on the growth, achievements and success of 2022, several truly impactful accomplishments stand out that are worth celebrating:
An Economic Vitality Strategic Plan was launched for Lincoln. With the support of our board of directors, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce partnered with two top consulting firms, Broad Ripple Strategies and DMOProz, to develop a strategic plan for our community, focused on defining a vision for our city’s economic future and how to achieve it. The plan, which was announced at our annual Economic Development Breakfast last summer, is being finalized with input from the community at large in response to a citywide survey, as well as thoughtful direction from a steering committee of community leaders. The final strategic plan will be introduced to our membership and the community in February at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. Learn more about the Economic Vitality Strategic Plan at lcoc.com/economic-strategy.
It was a successful year for local policy. As the voice for local business, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce’s public policy team had great success in 2022. This included successfully lobbying on ARPA funds for Lincoln housing, childcare, infrastructure, workforce, internship and other community needs; successfully lobbying for Amendment 1 for expanded air service, which was overwhelmingly supported by voters in the November election; and successfully lobbying for the largest individual and corporate income tax cut in Nebraska history, property tax relief and exempting Social Security income from state and income taxes. Additionally, our work supported an elevated investment in economic development through the increase of funds within the city’s building and development department budgets.
Plans for the Lincoln Youth Complex were announced. This fall, Visit Lincoln, a division of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, unveiled plans for a baseball and softball complex north of Oak Lake Park in partnership with Nebraska Wesleyan University, the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County and other community partners. The complex will house eight turfed fields, including two championship fields for both baseball and softball and one field for Homer’s Heroes for boys and girls with physical and intellectual disabilities. The addition of the Lincoln Youth Complex to our community will positively impact the lives of athletes and continue to position Lincoln as a premier destination for youth sports for years to come.
On behalf of our entire team at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, thank you for working together to continue moving our city forward. The future is bright for Lincoln, and I am eager to see what 2023 unfolds for our community.