Chamber Priorities and Updates for 2019-2020

Each year, at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting, we take a moment to look back at our accomplishments before we look ahead to the exciting new things to come. Almost 1,600 business and civic leaders gathered on October 11 to hear from Chamber leadership including Chamber Board of Directors Chair Daniel J. Hilferty, CEO of Independence Health Group, and the Chamber’s President & CEO Rob Wonderling.

“Your Chamber has never been more engaged and impactful, we’ve worked tiredlessly to create growth and economic prosperity for this city and the 11-county region” – our President & CEO Rob Wonderling reports on our past year of work #GoodBizPHL pic.twitter.com/gkgvhhLsz8

— Chamber for Gtr PHL (@ChamberPHL) October 11, 2019

Wonderling underscored the role of our members in the efforts of our region’s business and civic community to create jobs, prosperity, and inclusive growth for Greater Philadelphia. Wonderling highlighted recent work the Chamber has undertaken around measuring the impact of our member’s philanthropic efforts and how our PHL Neighborhood Growth Project is working towards inclusive growth and good jobs, education and workforce modernization, safe and healthy neighborhoods, and putting people first at city hall.

“We must decrease poverty and increase opportunity in every neighborhood, on every street, for every person” – Our board chair Dan Hilferty talks about how we’re working towards this through our @PhillyNGP #GoodBizPHL pic.twitter.com/mAmNWFJsTZ

— Chamber for Gtr PHL (@ChamberPHL) October 11, 2019

Hilferty went on to outline the three key priorities for the Chamber to help support innovation, encourage inclusive growth and become a world-class city and region:

Champion economic growth across the Commonwealth – A modern, statewide growth agenda calls for collaboration from all corners of the Commonwealth. The Grow PA initiative is catalyzing big ideas across the state around infrastructure, health care innovation, and higher education.
Make Philadelphia the model of the 21st-century, inclusive American city – Our best ideas for growth must reduce poverty and increase opportunity in every neighborhood for every person. Our PHL Neighborhood Growth Project is working towards this goal through engagement with neighborhood businesses and civic organizations and connecting these leaders to City Hall.
Become the Silicon Valley of Health Care – The life sciences assets in this region should put us out in front of the field not just nationally, but globally. We’ll do this through telling the story of our region’s cutting-edge work in cell & gene therapy and connected health.

“Being one of six children supported my growth as a leader. I was learning how to lead and follow before I even got to @WestPoint_USMA” – @JNJNews’s Alex Gorsky on his development as a leader. #GoodBizPHL pic.twitter.com/Rn0k9dwqhk

— Chamber for Gtr PHL (@ChamberPHL) October 11, 2019

“Philadelphia absolutely has the potential to be the Silicon Valley of health care.” – Alex Gorsky of @JNJNews on the innovations happening in Philadelphia. #GoodBizPHL

— Chamber for Gtr PHL (@ChamberPHL) October 11, 2019

The program concluded with an interview between Alex Gorsky, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson, and D’Arcy F. Rudnay, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, Comcast NBCUniversal. Gorsky discussed his career path, living and working in Greater Philadelphia, and the region’s prospects to become a top hub for health care innovation. Follow the conversation on Twitter using #GoodBizPHL.