The world wide pandemic, economic upheaval and social unrest that 2020 debuted will linger with us in many forms for years to come. As international as these issues have been, the management of the crisis and disruption it has caused in the United States has fallen most often to state and local leadership. In every local community, Chambers of Commerce have been part of that critical response and recovery team, aiding citizens and businesses alike. But just like the business they serve, they too have faced significant disruptions and challenges to their normal operations. These challenges have exposed the cracks in their operating model that have been there and growing for decades. Our COVID-19 environment has now made the cracks too wide to ignore. It has also provided the perfect opportunity for chambers to rethink their mission and model in a way they may not have had the time or permission to do before. It is forcing chambers to re-imagine what they will need to be moving forward. To help in that reimagining, "From Relevant to Essential" identifies five key insights that all Chambers can use to ensure their organization is not just relevant to the members of their organization, but is truly essential to the larger community that they serve.

From Relevant to Essential provides five key insights for Chamber's of Commerce to consider as they emerge from a year that has tested their very existence. While most have risen to the occasion, they have done so by instinct, addressing large scale immediate needs that begged for their leadership.  As Chambers emerge from these unprecedented times, the pull to return to a sense of normalcy will conflict with what Chambers really should be doing; Exploring what they've learned about their leadership, their mission, and their model that affects their future.

It will explore why this past year being essential to the larger community was way more important than being relevant to a singular member; why the "we the community" work was way more impactful than the previous focus on the "me the member" work.   It will explore the true power chambers have always possessed but never universally harnased; Utilizing the power of their influence to create wider engagement.   It will help Chambers explore how to feed the hunger in their community for truthful, respectful and engaging (not polarizing) content. These insights will explain why being essential will require chambers to get comfortable with community conversations that really matter.  And finally, it will help chambers understand the power of ceding their power, their voice, to those who have none but need one. 

What Relevant to Essential won't do, is provide a singular template that all Chambers will be expected to execute uniformilly. Instead it will challenge each chamber to think about how to create a local response to their larger community needs in a way that is inclusive of all yet fundamentally at its core, supported by business. It will discuss the WHY; Why the Chamber mission and model have been at odds for decades. It will start the discussion on the HOW. How the Chamber can reimagine the work in a way more reflective of their origins and true intent.  

The five key insights are true north stars hiding in plain sight when viewed through the unique lens of COVID that chambers can use as a guide to their Next normal.

Casey Steinbacher, Founder of Finding Next, is widely recognized as a national expert in urban innovation strategies. Her company identifies and creates NEXT opportunities for communities, organizations, and the women who lead them. She is credited with authoring the strategy that targeted entrepreneurs and millennials as key components for the place based renaissance of downtown Durham, NC that MSNBC named the "start up capital of the south". Her clients include Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development organizations, talent development/attraction organizations, private sector businesses, non-profit organizations, music festivals and sports organizations.

Prior to founding her own company, Casey served as President and CEO of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce from 2007 until 2015. Under her direction, the Durham Chamber received national and international acclaim, including the World Chamber Congress,  for its leadership in innovative economic and entrepreneurial development. A 27 year veteran of Chamber and Economic Development work, she also served as President and CEO of Chambers in Pennsylvania and Florida.

Casey has served on numerous boards throughout the US including as Chairman of the Board of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, representing Chamber professional across the United States and Canada. She holds a Certified Chamber Executive designation and a Lifetime Achievement honor from the same association.

A sought after speaker, Casey addresses audiences on topics that include Reimagining the Model, Innovative Organizational Strategies, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Eco-Systems, Community Vibe, Why Coolness Matters, Woman in Leadership, Place-based Economic Development and Equitable Talent Development.

Her book, From Relevant to Essential, a successful look at Why Chambers need to reimagine their model is available now.   The follow up book on How Chambers can create that new model is scheduled for release in April 2021.