The Chamber’s 222nd Annual Meeting exemplified the commitment of leaders in the Greater Philadelphia business and civic communities to working collaboratively in support of our region’s economic vitality, competitiveness, and attractiveness. This short video demonstrates the significant progress we have made together toward reaching the five key aspirations set out at the beginning of the Recharge & Recover PHL process:

Aspiration #1: To become the new national model to learn, work, and apprentice in the jobs of the future.

Through several efforts, such as the Philadelphia Skills Forward partnership and the creation and execution of industry-specific collaborations, the Chamber and our members continue to support the development of workforces that will fuel the economy of the future. The ongoing work at PDC Machines is just one example of our collective efforts to develop Greater Philadelphia into the new national model for the jobs of the future. PDC Machines’ CEO, Kareem Afzal, shared that—through their organization’s work to manufacture high-pressure gas equipment for us in the emerging hydrogen industry—employees at PDC Machines are already among those propelling the future of work forward. 

Aspiration #2: To become a place known for investing in and growing small, Black-, brown-, and locally owned businesses.

As described by Founder and CEO Tiffanie Stanard, Stimulus, Inc. is an organization that uses technology to help companies make better purchasing decisions while simultaneously diversifying their supply chain. Related to the Chamber’s own Diverse Procurement Collaborative (DPC), this emphasis on diversifying vendor basis results is additional support for smaller companies and companies owned by Black and brown leaders. According to Pitchbook, nearly $8 billion in venture capital funding was raised in Greater Philadelphia in 2021. This level of funding and the intentional inclusion of smaller organizations in this work has allowed our business community to grow in numbers and diversity. 

Aspiration #3: To become a digital community with increased digital literacy, technology, and internet use.

According to Startup Genome, Greater Philadelphia ranks as the #1 Emerging Start Up Ecosystem in the country. Many of the region’s major employers and players in tech are to thank for this, including Comcast Corporation, which has committed to growing our technology ecosystem not only through dedicated Wi-Fi zones and educational initiatives but also through its LIFT Labs program. According to Co-Founder and CEO of LLUNA, a current member of the 2022 LIFT Labs Class, their organization has found a home here thanks to the high-quality talent retained by and attracted to our region given the share of high-quality schools, the density of companies, competitive tech salaries, and low cost of living. 

Aspiration #4: To become the healthiest and most livable community in the Northeast.

The availability, accessibility, and vibrancy of arts and culture organizations are critical to any region’s livability and provide an extra edge in attracting and retaining residents. As Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of the Franklin Institute, shared Greater Philadelphia continues to rank highly on factors related to arts and culture—organizations that have provided $4.1 billion to our regional economy and which serve as critical pieces to bolstering our region’s overall livability, attractiveness, and competitiveness. In addition to being ranked in Outside Magazine’s Top 20 Most Livable Towns and Cities in America and being listed as a Top 25 Global City in a recent JLL report, the Chamber has resourced the creation of the Metropolitan Livability Index which ranks us highly in factors such as access to care, arts vibrancy, and housing availability when compared to seven peer metropolitan regions. 

Aspiration #5: To become a top global cell and gene therapy hub.

In addition to ranking highly in many factors of livability, Greater Philadelphia has been recently ranked by Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) as the nation’s second top cell and gene therapy hub. Thanks to decades of work conducted by the region’s universities and medical systems, Spark Therapeutics’ CEO, Ron Philip, noted that our region has become world-renowned for biopharmaceutical successes, including the discovery, development, and delivery of life-changing treatments. With the support of efforts like the Chamber’s Cell & Gene Therapy Initiative, life sciences organizations in Greater Philadelphia have an opportunity to continue developing our region into a predominant top global hub for this work. 

Now, over two and a half years into the Recharge & Recover PHL Initiative, it is clearer than ever how these aspirations for our future serve as interconnected goals. For more information and details about the Chamber’s 222nd Annual Meeting, please read our event recap here.