The Catawba County Chamber Foundation
The Catawba County Chamber Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in January 2023, is dedicated to enhancing our region’s economic prosperity and quality of life through strategic partnerships, education, and engagement. While operating as a separate entity, it is closely aligned with The Chamber of Catawba County to collaboratively address critical community needs.
Our Mission
Since its inception, the Foundation has been committed to a strategic visioning process aimed at bringing together a diverse cross-sector collaboration of business, local government, non-profit organizations, and other leading institutions. The goal is to develop consensus-built strategies to tackle the key challenges impacting Catawba County’s economic competitiveness.
Key Projects
Workforce Scan & Competitive Analysis
In November 2023, the Foundation commissioned a comprehensive Workforce Scan to evaluate the county’s workforce development and talent retention strategies. This project began with a virtual focus group of local stakeholders, identifying workforce strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The insights gained informed a detailed Talent Profile, which analyzed workforce composition, demographics, educational attainment, and migration trends, comparing Catawba County’s performance against state and national benchmarks and similar counties.
The Catawba County Talent Strategy is a phased, collaborative approach designed to address workforce needs and ensure a sustainable talent pipeline for Catawba County:
Catawba County Business Community – Talent Priorities Identification:
The Catawba County Chamber Foundation engaged Broad Ripple Strategies, alongside a 20-member Steering Committee of private sector leaders, to identify critical talent-related issues. This work included:
- Quantitative research following the 2023 Workforce Scan, supplemented with other propietary data sources.
- Qualitative input through over 100 business leaders via one-on-one interviews and six industry-specific focus groups.
- Outcomes were a set of priority areas that The Chamber of Catawba County or The Foundation may address through programs, advocacy, or support for community partners.
Catawba County Talent Strategy Development: Building on this foundation, the next phase is to create a comprehensive, cross-sector talent strategy focusing on (1) Producing “homegrown” talent and (2) Attracting and retaining talent.
- This process will be led by a 45-member Steering Committee, including key public, private, education, and nonprofit sector leaders, with steering chairs Zack Cranford, Founder, Cranford Hospitality (Business), Randy Isenhower, Chairman, Catawba County Board of Commissioners (Local Government), and Dr. Garrett Hinshaw, President of Catawba Valley Community College (Education).
- Extensive community engagement will involve six additional focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and a survey to gather insights from key stakeholders in business, local government, education, and the non-profit communities.
- Our goal is to establish a strategic roadmap that enables partners to implement systems-level improvements in talent development, retention, and attraction across Catawba County. The comprehensive strategy process is expected to be completed by May 2025.
Thank you to the following organizations who have contributed to fund this important work to date: Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Hickory, HSM Solutions, Cranford Hospitality, Shurtape Technologies, RHF Investments, First Citizens Bank, and Vanguard Furniture.
HKY4Vets
Since its inception in 2016, HKY4Vets (Hickory4Vets), a program of the Foundation, aims to make Catawba County one of the most veteran-ready communities in the country. We serve as the preferred conduit between transitioning active duty service members, veterans and their family members and the Catawba County business community, serving as a key resource for employment assistance, professional networking, and employer education. For more information, click here.
Get Involved
Governance and Support
The Catawba County Chamber Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors composed of business and community leaders. Our work is funded by contributions from individuals, businesses, private and corporate foundations, and grants.
If you are interested in providing a charitable tax-deductible contribution or learning more about our work, please contact Lindsay Keisler, President & CEO here.
