Advocating for your business
As the newest member of the staff at the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, I wanted to use this column to introduce myself. My name is Mitch Rave, I am a born-and-raised South Dakotan – I grew up north of Sioux Falls in the Baltic area and attended the University of South Dakota. After college, I started my professional career at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, where I focused on state lobbying efforts and other areas in healthcare advocacy. This past June, I joined the Chamber team at the Vice President of Public Policy.
While I am new to the Chamber as an employee, I am not new to their mission when it comes to advocacy. I have had opportunities in the past to work with the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce on a number of issues that pushed Sioux Falls, and South Dakota, forward. From my perspective, the Chamber has always presented a strong voice and skilled approach when it came to advocating for a business-friendly climate and promoting economic development. The Chamber has also been a champion for the positive impact of our local business community, not only for Sioux Falls and its surrounding communities, but all of South Dakota.
The Chamber has always presented a strong voice and skilled approach when it came to advocating for a business-friendly climate and promoting economic development.
One of the greatest strengths of the Chamber is its ability to engage and advocate on such a wide variety of issues on behalf of its members. Almost every industry is represented within the membership of the Chamber, which allows us to be a resource in so many areas when it comes to advocacy and promoting the priorities of businesses, their employees and the interests of the communities that we call home.
How does the Chamber determine which issues to engage on? We rely on the Issues Management Council (IMC) – a group of 40 member volunteers that represent a broad spectrum of industries and community perspectives. Each month, this group reviews and considers current issues that have the potential to impact the business community. The IMC uses that information to form recommended policy stances, which are sent to the Chamber’s Board of Directors for approval. This gives our Chamber advocacy team the framework for advocating at the local, state, and federal levels of government.
My goal at the Chamber is to continue the tradition of strong advocacy on pro-business policies, economic development, workforce issues and common-sense legislation to continue moving South Dakota forward. I also want to be proactive in letting all of you know that our team is here to work for you. If we can assist in navigating any issues you may have, connecting you with the right people, or to help capitalize on an opportunity for your business or industry, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
I look forward to working with you to continue building our strong community.
