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The business of “taking care of business” is wide ranging and one aspect is actually getting to the workplace.
Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Alexandria Eberhardt said businesses are on the same page as employees when it comes to making sure people can get to their jobs. Eberhardt, a guest this week on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, said she found Congressman Seth Moulton in agreement during a recent business summit at Salem State University Enterprise Center.
“As we know, looking at transportation, obviously the MBTA has issues, but also looking at regional rail lines and all of that. When we talk about transportation, those two things need to go hand in hand. People need to be able to access travel to their job and the better public transportation we have, the more access they have to more jobs,” she said.
During the Feb. 24 meeting involving various chambers of commerce and business organizations, Eberhardt said the congressman spoke about the need for infrastructure improvements to support expected workforce growth over the next five to 10 years.
Eberhardt also discussed Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal for tuition-free community college that was included in her first budget plan. Eberhardt noted she worked in Rhode Island before coming to Haverhill and talked about how free college works in the Ocean State
“There is free community college tuition in the state of Rhode Island. Gov. (Gina) Raimondo at the time—now U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo—put that through and we found massive changes in education and skill building and stackable credentials with the opportunity for people to attend college for free, for two years, to access that funding for two years to continue their mobility forward in that way. So, personally I am a big proponent of free community college,” she said.
Eberhardt also took time to preview the next Eggs and Issues legislative breakfast, hosted by the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. The upcoming meeting features guest speaker Stephen McAllister, eastern region vice president of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Steve McAllister who is the vice president for the 11 states, West Virginia north through New England, through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is coming to speak with us to give us a federal snapshot of all things coming out of Washington, D.C., on March 16, down at the HC Studio at the (UMass Lowell) iHub,” she said.
Registration for the breakfast may be made online at haverhillchamber.com.
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