The Grand Rapids Chamber is excited to announce its advocacy priorities for 2025-2026. The priorities, developed with input from more than 800 members and through Government Affairs Issue Committees, were approved at the December Board of Directors meeting.
2025 Priorities
A vibrant business climate, a talented Michigan, and a place to call home, are the top three advocacy areas for West Michigan businesses as we enter 2025. This aligns with a recent member survey in which these were cited as the most important policy areas for the business community:
- A smart regulatory environment/reducing barriers to business creation and growth – 25.7%
- A talented and diverse workforce – 18.6%
- Regional housing supply – 12.1%
- Affording employee benefits/healthcare – 9.1%
- Quality infrastructure and transformational projects – 7.3%
“This is valuable input and ensures we are focused on the right issues as relentless advocates for our business community,” said Rick Baker, President and & CEO of the Chamber. “Grand Rapids is on a great trajectory, but we must continue to address the barriers to business growth.”
1. A Vibrant Business Climate
To support a vibrant business climate businesspeople need to be able to do what they do best, create solutions and innovate. They should be responsive to their customers, not struggling with convoluted processes. The Chamber is focused on:
- Sensible regulation
- A competitive tax environment
- Fiscally responsible budgets
- Affordable employee benefits
- Infrastructure for a growing region
2. A Talented Michigan
The essential building blocks of our economy are the ideas, ingenuity, and imagination of people. Michigan families deserve a strong education system – from birth to career – to meet future demands and challenges. We also need to attract the best and brightest from across the world. To support a talented Michigan, the Chamber is focused on:
- Attracting, growing and retaining talent
- Increasing student achievement
- Expanding resources for a more inclusive workforce
- Immigration reform to attract New Americans
3. A Place to Call Home
A great place to live is also a great place to work. Strong local leadership creates a welcoming, vibrant community with a place for everyone. The Chamber wants West Michigan to be a place to call home and is focused on:
- A thriving downtown and business districts
- Transformational projects
- Housing solutions
- Connected and accessible communities
- Business leaders connecting with civic leaders and community
“Businesspeople are vital to local communities. They employ our neighbors and invest in philanthropic initiatives,” said Josh Lunger, Vice President of Government Affairs. “West Michigan’s success is built on public-private partnerships and the collaborative impact of leaders with vision and commitment. To keep West Michigan moving forward policymakers need to focus on policies that sustain growth and broad-based prosperity.”
The priorities can be found here: https://grandrapids.org/current-priorities/.
