The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated the end of Chamber of Commerce Week in Utah by holding a grand opening for its new Provo office.

For over 30 years, the UVCC was housed in the historic courthouse building in Provo, but according to chamber President and CEO Rona Rahlf, due to some expansion, when the chamber’s lease was up this year it needed to yield the space. Thankfully, their new location at 2696 N. University Ave., Suite 220 in Provo was ready to go, Rahlf said — it’s even been remodeled recently.

“We’re in a building I think was built in the late ’60s, early ’70s. But inside our space, it looks like we are in 2020. So we feel good about that,” she said.

Abby Lyman, a chamber ambassador and the sales director of Marriott in Orem said Friday’s grand opening had a great turnout.

“Lots of businesses there,” Lyman said. “It was pretty packed.”

It worked out to have the event on the tail end of Chamber of Commerce Week too, Rahlf said. According to Rahlf, Chamber of Commerce Week is celebrated all over the country, and serves as a time just to raise awareness in the general public and the business community about what chambers are doing for the community.

“One week out of the year is an opportunity to remind people the work that’s going on oftentimes behind the stage that they’re not aware of,” Rahlf said. “What chambers of commerce … and their business community is doing for the benefit of all of us.”

The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce focuses on six key focus areas, Rahlf explained, with No. 1 being workforce development and education alignment — i.e., connecting industry leaders with educational organizations to make sure the needed workforce is being developed.

“The main thing is that we’re raising that awareness with the education community that hey, industry needs your partnership to prepare the workforce for the future,” Rahlf said.

In addition, the chamber works to support transportation needs, housing, affordability, water, air quality and protecting open space.

“We live in a beautiful valley, and we want to have available open space and recreation,” Rahlf said. Ultimately she added, Chamber of Commerce Week is about celebrating what chambers of commerce and business communities can do.

Aside from those key focus areas, UVCC Board Chair Jeremy Hafen said over the past year the board has come up with a brand new strategic plan centered around three core principles: influence, convene and lead — influencing public policy, convening members and business leaders to share and grow ideas, and working to lead Utah Valley as it grows.

“We’re coming up with our core priorities of what the valley needs to be able to address (its) growth,” Hafen said. “We’re excited to kind of change the direction of the chamber from what it’s been in the past … and really coalesce around priorities in the valley.”

Along with the new priorities created by the board, the chamber will launch a new website to help people understand how to get involved and be actively engaged. Sponsored chamber events coming up include the Executive Summit on Oct. 4 and “Higher Education in the Workforce for Tomorrow” on Nov. 8.

“Each (city) chamber has kind of their priorities and focuses based on what their community needs are,” Rahlf said. “And that’s the cool part is it’s not a blueprint, the template … it very much reflects the community.”