Advocacy & Legislative Action
A mission of the Gateway Initiative is to serve as the leading voice of business in South Baldwin County.
Our team aims to promote an environment in which business can prosper. We proactively support policies
that encourage smart growth in our community.
Baldwin County Chamber Coalition
In 2018, Gateway facilitated the gathering of all five Chambers of Commerce in Baldwin County to collaborate on a county-wide business legislative agenda. For the first time in more than ten years, the executives and governmental affairs committee members from each Chamber gathered to develop the Baldwin County Chamber Coalition. Each year, the Coalition aims to support business by educating employers and their employees regarding important legislative issues, connecting directly with our local elected officials about issues that matter to our business members in Baldwin County, and effectively representing 3,500 members and 74,000 employees in combined membership.
Legislative Agenda
Research and Legislative Action
Gateway is dedicated to pro-business advocacy efforts that span many areas: we dove in head first to address business needs during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Hurricane Sally relief efforts; we actively coordinate with schools and colleges to ensure curriculum aligns with hiring needs; and we’ve drafted numerous communications to State and Federal congressional delegates expressing our support or dissatisfaction with proposed legislation (e.g., the single-use plastic ban, infrastructure funding, and overtime wage reimbursement laws). We also facilitate survey efforts to better understand industry needs related to employee housing, workforce training, salary and benefits offerings, and more. We are continually looking for ways to ensure you can run your business to its fullest potential.
Let us know how we can help you by contacting any member of our team!
Committee Participation
One specific way Gateway advocates for local business across the State is through committee and council participation. For example:
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Governor’s Technical Education Advisory Committee for Hospitality & Tourism
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Business Council of Alabama
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Advisory Board Member Alabama Education Alliance
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Advisory Board Member Alabama Department of Education for Business & IT
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Governor’s Think Tank on Education & Training Innovation
Resources
You hear us talking a lot about "workforce" and how - recently - there's just not enough! One way Gateway is working to increase the number of individuals participating in the labor market is by exploring, developing and expanding child care options for working families in Baldwin County. Gateway's Sally Westendorf explains more in this Gateway Update.