NEW YORK: Another year is about to end, and the Guam Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday voted for a new set of board members for the coming year.
Before the result of the election for board members was announced, current board Chairman Jeff Jones said the island’s largest organization of businesses “did accomplish quite a bit.”
One of the organization’s efforts included meeting with Pentagon officials, lawmakers in the nation’s capital and the local military leadership to continue to lobby for an expanded military presence on the island.
Military and tourism are the two main legs of the local economy, and Jones said the military sector creates better-paying and longer-lasting jobs in the community.
The Chamber’s Armed Forces Committee continues to build relationships with the military, Jones said.
A few months ago, the Defense Department released the Record of Decision, which begins the process to award contracts for the relocation of about 5,000 Marines from Okinawa to a new Marine Corps base in Guam.
The $8.7 billion Marine relocation, also called locally as the military buildup, is being supported by the Chamber as a way to stir economic growth, create jobs and open up business opportunities for Guam businesses.
While some may question the effort toward advocating for expanded military presence on the island, Jones said it’s “time and money well spent.”
The Chamber also lobbied for simplifying the business license application and renewal process in the government of Guam and for reforms to the procurement system.
These efforts, which are being led by attorney John Brown for procurement reform and Bobby Shringi for streamlining government processes for businesses, will continue into the next year.
The Guam Chamber has a membership of about 400 businesses that employ about 48,000 people.
To herald the upcoming year, the Chamber also Wednesday held an election for six board members to join holdover board members as its 2016 leaders.
