[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E57-E58]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE INDEPENDENCE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S CENTENNIAL 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 21, 2021

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 
Independence Chamber of Commerce on one hundred years of support and 
advocacy for local businesses across Independence, Missouri. For an 
entire century, the Independence Chamber of Commerce has nurtured the 
entrepreneurial spirit that serves as the economic backbone of my 
district.
  President Harry Truman, born and raised in Independence, emphatically 
believed that ``America was built on courage, on imagination, and an 
unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.'' For one hundred 
years, the Independence Chamber of Commerce has given local business 
leaders the tools to be courageous and imaginative, along with the 
determination necessary to succeed. The Chamber represents over five 
hundred businesses in Independence, each doing their part to make a 
difference in the lives of their friends and neighbors. Every year, the 
Chamber's incredible staff and Board of Directors organize nearly two 
hundred events, from roundtable discussions with burgeoning business 
leaders, to seminars with professionals on how to grow new enterprises. 
These business-centered events bolster the economic

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mainstays of a proud and historic community. However, the Chamber's 
extensive catalog of events engages with all sorts of communities. Its 
organization and sponsorship of events like the annual Halloween 
parade, a weekly Foodie Friday that promotes local restaurants, and the 
SantaCaliGon Days Festival bring joy and warm memories to those 
fortunate enough to call Independence home. And as the current public 
health crisis continues to pose unprecedented challenges and difficult 
decisions to small businesses, the Independence Chamber of Commerce has 
risen to meet the moment. It has reimagined how to help local 
businesses and continues to serve as a vital resource for those 
navigating the narrow waters between a struggling economy and a lethal 
virus. Additionally, the Chamber's concerted effort to spread awareness 
about various COVID-19 relief funds has been the difference, for many 
family-owned businesses, between surviving a difficult year and being 
forced to close. In short, the Chamber's work has ensured that 
President Truman's hometown continues to grow and prosper.
  However, the Chamber's work extends far beyond Independence city 
limits. Its annual lobbying day in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C. 
helps promote the policies necessary for robust business growth and 
economic development not only in the great state of Missouri, but 
across the entire country. And as this year has placed a renewed and 
long-overdue emphasis on community-owned broadband service, affordable 
quality housing, and neighborhood inclusivity, the Chamber has been an 
effective advocate for many of the issues that inspired me to run for 
City Council, for Mayor, and then for Congress. Through their advocacy, 
the Chamber has initiated and supported several infrastructure 
development and neighborhood revitalization projects that have 
benefitted a broad coalition of communities. It recognizes that 
policies that are good for hardworking individuals in all kinds of 
communities are also good for businesses, and I look forward to our 
continued partnership as we support Missouri families. But as I 
mentioned, it is not just the Chamber's policies, but also its 
presence, that have tangible positive effects on the district I 
represent.
  With every educational seminar, a small business owner gains an 
opportunity to innovate and incorporate new ways to grow their 
business. With every networking event, the Chamber connects leaders who 
can collaborate and form symbiotic partnerships that benefit all of us. 
With every ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony, the Chamber 
offers a business the vital publicity and web of support needed to grow 
and succeed. Running a business is hard. But for one hundred years, the 
Independence Chamber has made it easier for the aspirational among us 
to capitalize on the same entrepreneurial spirit that made the American 
economy the envy of the world.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in congratulating the current 
and former staff members who have organized the daily activities of the 
Independence Chamber of Commerce, as well as all the past and present 
members of the Chamber's Board of Directors, who have served as dutiful 
stewards of this thriving organization. The Independence Chamber of 
Commerce has brought together entrepreneurs and served as a stalwart of 
growth and resiliency for the past one hundred years. I have no doubt 
that they will continue this important work over the next century and 
beyond.

                          ____________________