By Lisa Brenner
LPCC Chairman of the Board
In 2004, the Lincoln Park Chamber Board of Directors initiated a strategic planning process to establish a long-term plan for the organization's growth and development. The Chamber had achieved demonstrated successes during the previous few years at short-term and annual planning efforts. In keeping with best practices at other chambers of commerce, the board felt it was time to craft a vision for LPCC's future.
From April through November, a Strategic Planning Steering Committee met regularly to set objectives, identify a process, manage implementation, prepare reports and presentations, and refine outcomes. The Steering Committee was made up of board members and included Chris Matern, Raman Chadha, Julie Pesch, Lisa Brenner, and Kim Klausmeier.
In addition, the board hired Joseph McLennan, managing partner of McLennan Partners, to assist with this endeavor. McLennan has extensive experience in strategic planning with not-for-profit organizations including chambers of commerce locally and nationally.
One hallmark of the Chamber's strategic planning process was its inclusiveness. Every effort was made to get firsthand input from a wide variety of constituencies. Group or individual meetings were held to obtain viewpoints from:
* Current LPCC members
* Non-members
* Local cultural institutions
* Local and state government representatives
* City planning officials
*Leading Lincoln Park
entrepreneurs
* Lincoln Park residents
* LPCC Board members
* Chamber staff
The Steering Committee also made sure that input encompassed the current interests and challenges faced by every industry reflected in the Chamber's membership including retail, restaurants, healthcare, professional services, manufacturing, financial services, real estate and development, construction, consumer services, hospitality, education and technology.
Once all the interviews were completed, new mission, vision, and belief statements for the Chamber were crafted and refined along with defined values. Each of these statements represents a philosophy, core focus, and intended direction that will guide the Chamber for the next three-to-five years.
Belief Statement: We believe that business prosperity contributes to the vitality of the Lincoln Park Community.
Our Vision: The Lincoln Park Chamber will be the premier catalyst for business success.
Our Mission: Our purpose is to help businesses in Lincoln Park succeed and grow. Our key efforts in this regard are to—
* Conceive, design, and implement leading-edge programs and services that directly impact the success of our members
* Act as our members' advocate and champion
* Lead economic development efforts that sustain business
Our Values:
* Open, accessible, and inclu sive
* Innovative in thinking and programming
* Respectful and encouraging of diversity
* Known for our integrity and accountability
At first glance, these statements may appear general and ambitious. But each one was considered carefully to reflect leading outcomes of our research, including:
* To be effective, the Chamber has to make its success contingent on the success of business and its members in Lincoln Park.
* To be relevant, the Chamber has to take constructive action to help businesses grow and ensure a business-friendly environment.
* To be known, the Chamber has to maintain vocal positions in support of policies affecting business.
* To be lasting, the Chamber has to integrate economic develop- ment practices into its traditional chamber of commerce efforts.
Following creation of these statements, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee worked with Joe McLennan to consolidate and organize all the research input into four overriding goals for the coming years. These goals, called strategic initiatives, will give shape to our operational activities during the next few years.
Our Strategic Initiatives:
* Intensify business recruitment, retention, and growth
* Promote the Chamber as the voice of business in Lincoln Park
* Deliver leading-edge business education, training, and consulting
* Assure Chamber financial self- sufficiency
In addition to the strategic initiatives, milestones were developed for each initiative. The milestones will help ensure that we make measurable progress toward our goals over the next few years.
Following an additional refinement stage, the LPCC Board of Directors approved the 2005-2008 Strategic Plan in December of 2004. Now, through a new governance structure, every task, every program, every future activity of the Chamber falls under at least one of the initiatives. It is our hope that with this long-term planning in place, the Chamber will achieve the vision everyone in our community desires in the years to come. |
