 
Nearly one month after the deadliest tornado in more than 50 years, our neighbors in Joplin are starting to pick up the pieces. The outpouring of support and compassion from the Springfield area to Joplin has been simply incredible.
The city limit signs between our cities ceased to exist as we grieved with the Joplin community as the tragedy unfolded. The news crews are all but gone, but the disaster remains.
I urge you, as the days pass to weeks, months, and even years, to keep giving of your time and resources. Your continued support is absolutely essential as the City of Joplin, its residents, and businesses strive to put their home back together.
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2011 Community Leadership Visit set for Tupelo, Mississippi; sign-up deadline is June 24
On September 8-10 Springfield community leaders will travel to Tupelo, Mississippi for the Chamber's 18th annual community leadership visit.
As with previous visits, the goal is to learn from the experiences of another community and bring back ideas that will benefit the Springfield region.
This year, participants will learn about the way Tupelo approaches economic development and, in particular, how they are transitioning into a new type of economy.
As part of that transition, Tupelo was recently successful in working to locate a Toyota auto assembly plant in northeast Mississippi – a competitive win that resulted in significant national attention.
For the two-day leadership visit, the agenda is being developed around:
- The collaboration of the region’s education institutions to support workforce development;
- Tupelo’s focus on regional cooperation;
- Their economic development efforts that focus on providing support to existing businesses; and
- Their efforts at defining a distinct image that must often overcome pre-existing perceptions of the region.
The presenting sponsor is BancorpSouth and the premiere sponsor is BKD, LLP. Sponsorships are still available. Contact Emily Denniston on staff for details on sponsoring or attending.
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Joplin Chamber establishes fund to aid business recovery
More than 400 businesses in Joplin were severely damaged or destroyed by the May 22 tornado.
To help these businesses start the recovery process, our sister-Chamber, the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce has created the Foundation for Business Recovery Fund.
Find out how you can donate.
Chamber serves as facilitator between private and public sector
One of the Chamber’s important roles is to serve as a facilitator between the private sector and the public sector. Many times this leads to strong public-private partnerships that spur economic and community development and community building. These are positive and beneficial interactions between business and government.
Sometimes, however, there are areas of disagreement between Springfield’s businesses and local government. In these circumstances, too, the Chamber facilitates between those sectors. By opening that dialogue and helping to bridge differences, the Chamber provides opportunities for members to be heard on important public policies that have an impact on business.
Read full story.
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