Just days after the gubernatorial candidates released their platforms for the coming years, the business community presented its own plan for the future.
During a luncheon at the Guam Marriott Resort & Spa yesterday, the Guam Young Professionals presented the "Blueprint for Progress" to about 100 members of the Guam Chamber of Commerce. The goal of the project, which was an initiative of the Chamber of Commerce, was to harness the disparate business plans of members of the private sector and present them in a public forum, said Jay Rojas, executive vice president of SEIGuam and a member of the Guam Young Professionals.
David Leddy, president of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, said that he feels it's important that the chamber participates in the process of planning for the future.
"We represent over 400 companies," said Leddy.
20-year plan
The 20-year strategic plan focused on eight issues: education, workforce development, health care and social services, environment, infrastructure and utilities, highway and land use development, transportation and commerce and economic development.
The plan presented investigates specific ideas -- such as turning biowaste into charcoal and investigating the possibilities of geothermal energy -- while overall emphasizing public-private partnerships, efficiency, communication and collaboration among community organizations.
The final product reflected input from various stakeholders, who researched each topic and gathered the perspectives of members of the Chamber of Commerce, said Tom Maxedon, director of business telephone services for MCV Broadband.
Maxedon chaired the education committee, which recommended consistency in public education standards, upgrades in technology and maintaining yearly maintenance, security and meals contracts.
On the economic front, the project's recommendations included further marketing Guam's cultural heritage to develop niche markets, increasing efficiency in the public sector by assessing the benefits of outsourcing and privatization, and redirecting funding for welfare and food stamp programs into worker training programs.
While the plan comes out at a time when the gubernatorial candidates' platforms are being hotly debated, the goal was not to politicize the issues, according to Rojas. He said that the plan was developed independently of the gubernatorial campaigns, but that he hoped the plan could be a road map for whoever ends up in office.
"What we want to be able to do is say, 'Hey, whoever is going to be our next governor, use this,'" said Rojas.
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