On behalf of the Greater Bellevue Area Chamber of Commerce, I am delighted to have the opportunity each month to share with you important and exciting things happening at the Chamber, the City of Bellevue, and the Offutt Air Force Base Community. For 69 years, the Bellevue Chamber has proudly served the citizens of this great City to develop and maintain economic vitality and be a leader on issues that affect the well-being of the Bellevue-Offutt Community.
One question I often get asked is, “What exactly is a Chamber of Commerce and are you City employees?” The Chamber is a non-profit that operates as an independent organization, but we work collaboratively with the City of Bellevue to support and promote the overall well-being and goals of our business community. The work we do includes everything from helping new businesses come to our city, hosting ribbon cuttings, putting on educational and fundraising events, working with Offutt AFB Leadership to support our airmen and women, as well as crafting and supporting legislation that betters the City for businesses and residents. We are officially called the Chamber of Commerce, but more accurately we are the Chamber of Commerce and Community.
It is important to note that the Chamber is committed to forming collaborative efforts to serve not just our businesses, but the entire community, including our service members of Offutt Air Force Base. With unemployment at a record low, and thousands of active duty military members retiring nationwide each year, the Chamber is taking a proactive approach to helping local employers of all industries and sizes discover new ways of filling the employment gap with highly skilled and talented military candidates. We recently worked to educate business owners and military members with a “Lunch and Learn Forum” held on February 24th, in collaboration with Bellevue University, to showcase the DoD SkillBridge Program. The SkillBridge Program gives an opportunity for active-duty service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during their last 180 days of active-duty service. SkillBridge connects Service members with industry partners in real-world job experiences. With Offutt Air Force Base located in Bellevue, and over 10,000 people working on the Base any given day, we have one of the most diverse and highly trained military talent pools to draw from. Our community education forum was open to the public, and is just one example of the many ways the Chamber works to help our business and military community.
In 2022, we have many more exciting events and education opportunities coming up, including community events like our “Music Bingo St. Patrick’s Party” on March 16th that is open to the public, the Chamber’s Annual USSTRATCOM Update Luncheon with USSTRATCOM Commander Admiral Charles A. Richard, two annual golf tournaments, business networking groups, and many other events throughout the year. To learn more about all our upcoming events, networking opportunities and educational forums, visit our event calendar at: (https://www.bellevuenebraska.com/events/calendar/)
In the months to come, I look forward to writing to you and sharing business and community highlights. Until then, please note that the Chamber is located on the Bellevue University Campus at 1036 Bruin Blvd and we would love to have you stop in and say hello. We enjoy meeting new friends and look forward to continuing to work together to consistently find new ways to keep Bellevue as the heart of Nebraska.
Michelle Y. Andahl, President and CEO
Greater Bellevue Area Chamber of Commerce
