Learning, Growing, & Strengthening Our Community
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin. Investing in professional development isn’t just about gaining new skills—it’s about staying ahead, strengthening our businesses, and boosting our entire community.
Recently, we had the opportunity to attend the MCCE Annual Meeting in Stillwater, a statewide gathering of chamber executives and key leaders. It was an incredible chance to share ideas, discover best practices, and bring back valuable insights on how we can better support our members. Plus, as a board member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Executives, I feel like I get a front-row seat to the latest trends and insights of our industry.
We also checked out the Explore Minnesota 2025 Tourism Conference last week in Minneapolis, where we dove into industry trends, marketing strategies, and ways to attract more visitors (and dollars) to our community. Tourism isn’t just about beautiful scenery (although the lake view is pretty awesome); it’s about economic impact, and we’re here to help our local businesses benefit.
Professional development is more than something internal—it’s something we want to continue to bring to YOU! We’re excited to offer learning opportunities on relevant and emerging topics. Yesterday’s luncheon workshop topic of the DiSC assessment enhances workplace communication and collaboration.
Next month, we’ll learn from fellow business leaders on workforce strategies and culture. In April we’ll be discussing social media and storytelling trends, and will also have a special workshop on boosting business value. Finally, we’ll discuss mental health later this spring and learn about new local resources available. Each of these topics play an important role in professional development to help us adapt, innovate, and thrive in our businesses and organizations.
When we invest in ourselves and our team, we’re strengthening our community as a whole.
Keep learning, growing, and supporting each other.
-Christine
President, Waconia Chamber of Commerce
