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D.C. Chamber plans to flex its muscles
(Published January 10, 2005)

The leader of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce is predicting "a very exciting year for business" in 2005.

Riding a wave of increased membership that in 2004 lifted the local business organization to become the region's largest chamber of commerce, the D.C. Chamber has announced plans to flex its newfound muscle as the "voice of business" in the nation's capital.

Already, the D.C. Chamber has shown it can achieve success in doing so, having been among the leading lobbying groups that forced city leaders in the last few months to revise original plans for levying a gross receipts tax to pay for a new baseball stadium. As approved by the city council, the planned "ballpark tax" has been significantly reduced and will be levied on fewer D.C. businesses.

"We really want to step things up even more in 2005 to help our business community and continue the economic renaissance being seen in the District," said Barbara Lang, the D.C. Chamber's president and chief executive officer.

Workforce development, with a focus on promoting technical skills and higher education among city residents, will be among the chamber's primary efforts in the new year. The chamber also announced plans to step up its efforts to help local businesses obtain federal government contracts.

Relocating the group's Visitor Information Center, currently housed in the Ronald Reagan Building at Federal Triangle, is among goals to increase the center's visibility and usefulness for tourists. The chamber also said it plans to create a relocation service "to provide pertinent information to people moving into the District."