Philly Daily, where my Crime Beat column appears each week,
reports that Chellie Cameron, the President and Chief Executive Officer of
the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, sent out a letter celebrating
the progress the chamber has made in 2025.
You
can read the piece via the below link or the following text:
Chamber of Commerce President for Greater Philadelphia Notes 2025 Progress - Philly Daily
Dear
Chamber Community,
This
year, you saw your Chamber at work to make Greater
Philadelphia a top global
destination for business and a leader in inclusive growth. Together with our
members, investors, and partners, we advanced initiatives that attract
investment, strengthened talent pipelines, and advocated for policies that
create a competitive business climate. As the year comes to a close, it’s time
to celebrate the progress we’ve made and look forward to the opportunities for
growth that lie ahead in 2026.
We celebrated record activity in our business attraction and expansion
work with over 250 companies considering Greater Philadelphia
as a place to locate, expand or retain their business – proving our assertion
that we can lead as a region that is connected, collaborative, and accessible
to the world. We celebrated major investment announcements, including:
·
Hanwha Philly Shipyard’s unveiling
of a $5 billion infrastructure plan, creating transformative opportunities at
the Navy Yard.
·
GSK’s new biologics flex factory,
which will be built in Montgomery County, will produce medicines for
respiratory disease and cancer. The company expects construction to begin in
2026.
·
And just this month, leading canned beverage
manufacturer DrinkPAK announced
plans to establish its first Pennsylvania manufacturing facility at The
Bellwether District, bringing another 450 jobs to our region.
The
Chamber was proud to play a key role in these business relocations and
expansions.
We’ve also prioritized workforce and talent initiatives that leverage one of
our region’s greatest assets and opportunities – our people. This year, the
Greater Philadelphia Talent Network connected 40+ employers with nearly 40
education and workforce institutions, focused on fair chance hiring and
apprenticeships, creating inclusive pathways to opportunity. We launched Stay for Philly, a
talent attraction and retention campaign in partnership with Visit Philadelphia,
aimed at converting visitors into permanent residents.
In 2025, we continued our work advocating on behalf of the business community
to foster regional growth and create more economic opportunities for everyone.
When SEPTA faced a funding crisis, we
sounded the alarm and mobilized the business community to protect a system
vital to our economy. Our advocacy helped to amplify this issue and secure
commitments that keep our region moving. Next year, we’ll continue to convene
regional leaders to keep public transportation funding solutions at the
forefront.
We worked closely with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, and Chamber
members including Target, Five Below, and the Pennsylvania Food Merchants
Association to address retail theft.
Through careful collaboration, Philadelphia implemented a data-driven strategy
that reduced retail theft by 13% since 2024.
Other advocacy efforts and wins include supporting Pennsylvania’s Employer
Childcare Contribution Credit, which eases the burden for working parents,
collaborating with Philadelphia City Council to refine and pass updates
to the Fair Chance Hiring Law, a victory for employers, justice-impacted
individuals, and our economy, advocating on behalf of our members for policies
that promote a business friendly climate, and supporting efforts around the
advocacy for NIH funding through coalition and Chamber based strategies.
We were also proud to honor Greg Deavens as he
completed his term as Chair of our Board of Directors and welcomed Chris Franklin as
our new Board Chair. As Chair, Chris is
focusing on the redevelopment of Market East as well as transportation,
including the airports, public transit, and statewide transportation funding to
keep our city and region moving.
And there’s much more to come in the new year: FIFA World Cup matches, our
nation’s semi-quincentennial celebrations, the William Penn Award
honoring Jami McKeon this
April, and in January, our annual State of the Economy event.
For those that are interested in serving as a vendor for the events our region
will host in 2026, our friends at ESM Productions have
started a vendor contact directory which you can join here.
Thank you for your partnership and leadership this year. Together, we are
building a Greater Philadelphia that competes globally, grows inclusively, and
delivers opportunity for all. Here’s to an extraordinary year ahead.
In Service,
Chellie
Chellie Cameron
President
and Chief Executive Officer,
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
