A Better Brevard for All of Us
Chambers of Commerce Join Forces to Ensure Quality of Life
By the time Mother’s Day and Father’s Day roll around this year, my wife, Caity, and I will have welcomed a new son to our family, making 15-year-old Braden a big brother. As we eagerly anticipate baby Ayers’ arrival, I’m made even more aware of the value of the work we do each day at the Melbourne Regional Chamber.
As I meet people in the community, I often find that many are not exactly sure what a chamber does. They may know that we provide support to our partner businesses, but don’t realize the ripple effect these efforts truly have. The Melbourne Regional Chamber plays a huge role in advocating not only for a strong business environment, but also for quality-of-life issues that attract businesses to Brevard and make it a more vibrant community for all of us.
For my sons, I want a community that will continue to grow and thrive for years to come, with great education, quality jobs, and plentiful culture and recreation options.
Each March, we lead a legislative lobbying day in partnership with our three other local chambers, to visit state lawmakers and state agency heads in Tallahassee. Together, we lobby for policies and laws that enhance the Space Coast, including funding for muck removal and water quality research in the Indian River Lagoon. We fight for workforce readiness and education programs that will allow our major employers to find qualified workers, as well as advocating for affordable housing to encourage those workers to move here and stay here.
The Chambers support tourism and entertainment, including hoteliers, restaurants and attractions that create local jobs — and we stand behind legislation that helps all businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re backing improvements to roadways that we all travel each day. And, we support initiatives that ensure the Space Coast remains the world’s leading spaceport.
The study recently released by the Milken Institute, which rates the Space Coast as the No. 2 best performing metropolitan area in the country for 2021, tells us that our pro-business policies are working. Our area is, indeed, emerging as one of the most desirable places in the country to live, work and raise children. We at the Melbourne Regional Chamber are proud to act as a unified voice for all of us in Brevard to make our community the best it can be.
Report summary:
As president and CEO of the Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce, Michael Ayers is a strategic leader with experience managing government agencies, political campaigns and community-based organizations. He has spent over 17 years in government relations, management, and political marketing.
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