Tuesday, January 13, 2015

San Antonio Businesses Heading to Washington

Over 115 business leaders from San Antonio will travel to our nation’s capital February 2-5, with a comprehensive federal legislative agenda representing the regional needs of our community. For more than three decades, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce has led an SA to DC delegation of business leaders to Washington, D.C. to meet with legislators, administration officials and agencies to discuss key actions that will benefit our local community.

SA to DC began 37 years ago, with members of the San Antonio Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee traveling to the Pentagon to offer support for the various Department of Defense (DOD) missions located in our community. The focus of the trip during the first 20 years was to say thank you to Pentagon officials and members of congress for their support of the military presence in San Antonio.

Although the focus of SA to DC has expanded, San Antonio is still home to several commands and missions integral to our national defense, and our delegation will meet with senior DOD officials about the new budget agreement, how current service reorganization will affect San Antonio, and what our community can do to continue to support growth in areas such as military medical training and cybersecurity.

The trip is now a joint venture with The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Free Trade Alliance and has a much larger focus including education, aerospace, health care, technology, manufacturing, water, transportation, international trade, immigration, hospitality/tourism and small business. While the trip has expanded to include a dozen other key industries and issue topics, the focus on our military missions remains a key objective during the trip.

Prior to the trip, the San Antonio Chamber’s Board of Directors will review and approve the federal legislative agenda that will be jointly taken to Washington by representatives from area businesses, the City and the County, our public utilities and many other organizations supporting the growth and development of industries across our region.

In addition to the advocacy work accomplished during the trip, there may be no better way to get to know more than 100 of San Antonio’s top executives than during the annual 4-day fly-in to D.C. Those who attend will benefit from invaluable time with the top business leaders in San Antonio through intense networking.

In addition to meetings, meals and event participation, SA to DC registration includes airfare to/from Washington, D.C. and hotel accommodations.The Chamber would like to recognize BCFS for again sponsoring the Chairman’s Dinner on Tuesday evening at the Willard.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available and those interested should contact Will Garrett (210) 229-2163. For trip information or registration, please contact Allegra Zwaan at (210) 229- 2161.