Fayette Chamber members attend Capitol Hill Day
Several Fayette Chamber of Commerce members gained a listening ear recently as they spoke to state officials about local issues ranging from tax reform to public transit. Several local chamber members represented the group at the Chamber Day on Capitol Hill in Harrisburg where they met with elected legislators.
“I believe it was a good day,’ Marty Schiff, Fayette Chamber member and director of the State Theatre Center for the Arts, said.
“I believe people listened to what we had to say and they were interested. But just like any relationship it will be up to us to do some follow-up on some of the things we discussed.
“The chamber of commerce really depends so much on cooperation from Harrisburg. Any time we can go there and make Fayette County’s presence known is important. Getting to sit down with state Sen. Richard Kasunic was also beneficial and listening to other chambers of commerce helped us realize that we all have the same trials and tribulations. That was comforting but it also opens the door for some networking opportunities,’ Schiff said.
Specifically, Schiff said the local contingent spoke with Kasunic about creating “some sort of public transit system in Fayette County,’ Schiff said, as well as health care and the cost of fuel.
“Infrastructure came up more than anything else and that seems to be a huge focus,’ he said.
Chamber member Jeremy Burnworth of Creative Computer Concepts, agreed.
“We covered everything from taxes to government involvement in business. We also talked about non-profits,’ Burnworth said. He explained that non-profit groups, such as chambers of commerce, will have to be the “next impetus to make economic change. Reliance is starting to shift. This part of the country has more non-profits than other regions. When we mix in the business sector, we can see how these things intertwine.
“We also got to meet with other chamber members and got an idea of the things we should be involved in, like workers compensation, property tax reform, the minimum wage.
Legislators, Burnworth said, were in session during the visit, “which made it hard for them to meet with us.
“But we did meet with Sen. Kasunic and we covered everything on where we think Fayette County is going, its transportation needs and how the (Mon Fayette) expressway is going along.
“We also talked about the beauty of the area and how we keep prospering and more and more businesses are coming to the area,’ Burnworth said.
“We talked about how the chamber can be involved in that. One of our conclusions was that when new businesses come to town a group from the chamber can go and visit them. There are some new companies that have never been officially welcomed. We hope to bring that up at our Government Affairs Council,’ he said.
Burnworth also sees the new companies as potential growth for the chamber. “A lot of those organizations are also starting to hire young people. Our membership now is large and we are comparable to the Pittsburgh chamber in size.’
Burnworth would also like to see more chamber members attend such sessions. Representatives from about 125 chambers from across Pennsylvania participated in the daylong event, he said.
Seth Caton of J Dorazio Agency and Tom McGrew from Benatec Inc. also attended from the Fayette Chamber of Commerce.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry sponsored the event, which included legislative briefings on technology, tort reform, finance, transportation, the environment and energy.